轉變消極心態,你需要學會這幾招大綱
Most mornings as I leave the Y after my swim and shower, I cross paths with a coterie of toddlers entering with their caregivers for a kid-oriented activity. I can’t resist saying hello, requesting a high-five, and wishing them a fun time. I leave the Y grinning from ear to ear, uplifted not just by my own workout but even more so by my interaction with these darling representatives of the next generation.
大多數早上，游完泳、衝完澡的我離開基督教青年會時，都會穿過滿是蹣跚學步的幼兒的小徑，他們被看護人帶到這裏，參加一個面向兒童的活動。我禁不住要向他們問好，請他們跟我擊掌，並祝他們玩得愉快。我離開時總是滿面笑容，精神振奮，這不僅僅因爲我剛剛鍛鍊了身體，更重要的是，我和下一代人的這些可愛代表互動了一番。What a great way to start the day!
能以這樣的方式開始每一天，真是太棒了！When I told a fellow swimmer about this experience and mentioned that I was writing a column on the health benefits of positive emotions, she asked, “What do you do about people who are always negative?” She was referring to her parents, whose chronic negativity seems to drag everyone down and make family visits extremely unpleasant.
當我跟一同游泳的一個夥伴說起上述體驗，並提及我正在寫一篇關於積極情緒對健康有什麼好處的專欄文章時，她問，“你會拿一直都很消極的人怎麼辦？”她指的是她的父母，長期主導着他們的消極情緒似乎會把每個人拉下水，讓探親過程不愉快到極點。
I lived for half a century with a man who suffered from periodic bouts of depression, so I understand how challenging negativism can be. I wish I had known years ago about the work Barbara Fredrickson, a psychologist at the University of North Carolina, has done on fostering positive emotions, in particular her theory that accumulating “micro-moments of positivity,” like my daily interaction with children, can, over time, result in greater overall well-being.
我和一個因抑鬱症不時發作而遭受折磨的男人共同生活過50年，很能明白消極情緒會帶來多大的挑戰。我真希望自己多年前就瞭解北卡羅來納大學(University of North Carolina)的心理學家芭芭拉·弗雷德裏克森(Barbara Fredrickson)在培養積極情緒方面做的工作，尤其是她的這樣一個理論：“激發積極情緒的微瞬間”不斷累積，假以時日，會讓整體健康狀況得到改善。我和孩子們每天的交流就屬於這種微瞬間。The research that Dr. Fredrickson and others have done demonstrates that the extent to which we can generate positive emotions from even everyday activities can determine who flourishes and who doesn’t. More than a sudden bonanza of good fortune, repeated brief moments of positive feelings can provide a buffer against stress and depression and foster both physical and mental health, their studies show.
弗雷德裏克森以及其他人開展的研究表明，我們可以在多大程度上從日常活動中獲得積極情緒，決定着我們能不能活得健康快樂。他們的研究顯示，比起突然交上一次好運，反覆出現的那些激發積極情緒的短暫時刻，可以更好地緩衝壓力和抑鬱，增進身心健康。This is not to say that one must always be positive to be healthy and happy. Clearly, there are times and situations that naturally result in negative feelings in the most upbeat of individuals. Worry, sadness, anger and other such “downers” have their place in any normal life. But chronically viewing the glass as half-empty is detrimental both mentally and physically and inhibits one’s ability to bounce back from life’s inevitable stresses.
這並不是說，一個人要健康快樂，就必須一直都很積極。顯然，有些時刻和情況會自然而然地讓最樂觀的人產生消極感受。憂慮、悲傷、憤怒以及其他類似的“沮喪之情”存在於每一個普通人的生命中。但總是看到杯子只剩下一半水，不僅有礙身心健康，還會抑制一個人頂住生活中不可避免的壓力、重煥生機的能力。Negative feelings activate a region of the brain called the amygdala, which is involved in processing fear and anxiety and other emotions. Dr. Richard J. Davidson, a neuroscientist and founder of the Center for Healthy Minds at the University of Wisconsin — Madison, has shown that people in whom the amygdala recovers slowly from a threat are at greater risk for a variety of health problems than those in whom it recovers quickly.
負面情緒會激活腦部一個名爲杏仁核的區域，它與恐懼、焦慮等情緒的處理有關。威斯康星大學麥迪遜分校(University of Wisconsin — Madison)健康心靈研究中心(Center for Healthy Minds)創始人、神經科學家理查德·J·戴維森(Richard J. Davidson)博士發現，遇到威脅後杏仁核平復較慢的人，會比杏仁核平復較快的那些人面臨更大的出現各種健康問題的風險。Both he and Dr. Fredrickson and their colleagues have demonstrated that the brain is “plastic,” or capable of generating new cells and pathways, and it is possible to train the circuitry in the brain to promote more positive responses. That is, a person can learn to be more positive by practicing certain skills that foster positivity.
戴維森、弗雷德裏克森以及他們的同事開展的研究表明，大腦具有“彈性”，或者說可以產生新細胞和通路，我們有可能通過訓練腦回路來催生更爲積極的反應。也就是說，一個人可以通過使用培養積極情緒的特定技巧，學着變得更積極。For example, Dr. Fredrickson’s team found that six weeks of training in a form of meditation focused on compassion and kindness resulted in an increase in positive emotions and social connectedness and improved function of one of the main nerves that helps to control heart rate. The result is a more variable heart rate that, she said in an interview, is associated with objective health benefits like better control of blood glucose, less inflammation and faster recovery from a heart attack.
例如，弗雷德裏克森的團隊發現，開展爲期六週的慈悲與仁愛冥想訓練，會讓人產生更多積極情緒，增進社會聯絡，並改善一種幫助控制心率的重要神經的功能。她接受採訪時說，其結果是心率變異度更高，而這牽涉到一些健康方面的客觀好處，比如血糖得到更好的控制，減少炎症，以及在心臟病發作後更快地恢復。Dr. Davidson’s team showed that as little as two weeks’ training in compassion and kindness meditation generated changes in brain circuitry linked to an increase in positive social behaviors like generosity.
戴維森的團隊發現，即便只進行爲期兩週的慈悲與仁愛冥想訓練，也可以讓腦回路發生有助於增進慷慨等積極社會行爲的改變。“The results suggest that taking time to learn the skills to self-generate positive emotions can help us become healthier, more social, more resilient versions of ourselves,” Dr. Fredrickson reported in the National Institutes of Health monthly newsletter in 2015.
“這些結果顯示，花時間學習自行產生積極情緒的技巧，有助於我們變成更健康、更合羣、更具復原力的人，”2015年，弗雷德裏克森在國立衛生研究院(National Institutes of Health)的每月簡報中表示。In other words, Dr. Davidson said, “well-being can be considered a life skill. If you practice, you can actually get better at it.” By learning and regularly practicing skills that promote positive emotions, you can become a happier and healthier person. Thus, there is hope for people like my friend’s parents should they choose to take steps to develop and reinforce positivity.
戴維森表示，換句話說，“健康可以被視爲一種生活技巧。如果勤加練習，你其實會有進步。”通過學習和定期使用催生積極情緒的技巧，你可以變成一個更快樂、更健康的人。因此，我朋友的父母那樣的人是有希望的，只要他們選擇採取行動，培養和增強自己的積極情緒。In her newest book, “Love 2.0,” Dr. Fredrickson reports that “shared positivity — having two people caught up in the same emotion — may have even a greater impact on health than something positive experienced by oneself.” Consider watching a funny play or movie or TV show with a friend of similar tastes, or sharing good news, a joke or amusing incidents with others. Dr. Fredrickson also teaches “loving-kindness meditation” focused on directing good-hearted wishes to others. This can result in people “feeling more in tune with other people at the end of the day,” she said.
弗雷德裏克森在其新書《愛的方法》(Love 2.0)中表示，“比起一個人獨自體驗的積極情緒，共同的積極情緒——兩人沉浸在同一種情緒中——甚至可能對健康產生更大影響。”想象一下和一個趣味相投的朋友一同觀看有趣的戲劇或電影或電視劇，或者與人分享好消息、笑話或趣事的情形吧。弗雷德裏克森還教人練習以給予他人善意祝福爲重點的“慈心奉愛冥想”。她說，最終，這會讓人“覺得與他人更合拍”。Activities Dr. Fredrickson and others endorse to foster positive emotions include:
弗雷德裏克森等人推薦的一些有助於培育積極情緒的行爲包括：Do good things for other people. In addition to making others happier, this enhances your own positive feelings. It can be something as simple as helping someone carry heavy packages or providing directions for a stranger.
做有益他人的事情。除了讓他人更快樂，這樣做還會增強你的積極情緒。事情可以非常簡單，比如幫人提重物，或者給陌生人指路。Appreciate the world around you. It could be a bird, a tree, a beautiful sunrise or sunset or even an article of clothing someone is wearing. I met a man recently who was reveling in the architectural details of the 19th-century houses in my neighborhood.
欣賞周圍的一切。可以是一隻鳥，一棵樹，一次美麗的日出或日落，甚至是某人穿的一件衣服。我所在的社區裏佇立着一些始建於19世紀的房子，我最近遇到了一個正在欣賞那些房子的建築細節的男人。Develop and bolster relationships. Building strong social connections with friends or family members enhances feelings of self-worth and, long-term studies have shown, is associated with better health and a longer life.
建立和鞏固關係。與朋友或家庭成員密切交往可以增強自我價值感，而且有長期研究表明，這和更好的健康狀況以及更長的壽命之間有關聯。Establish goals that can be accomplished. Perhaps you want to improve your tennis or read more books. But be realistic; a goal that is impractical or too challenging can create unnecessary stress.
樹立能夠實現的目標。或許你想要提高自己的網球水平，或者閱讀更多書籍。但要現實一些：不切實際或太過具有挑戰性的目標，可以會製造出不必要的壓力。
Learn something new. It can be a sport, a language, an instrument or a game that instills a sense of achievement, self-confidence and resilience. But here, too, be realistic about how long this may take and be sure you have the time needed.
學些新東西。可以是能夠帶來成就感、自信心和復原力的一項運動、一門語言、一樣樂器或者一種遊戲。但請再次注意，要對可能花費多長時間有現實的認知，並確定自己能抽出足夠多的時間。Choose to accept yourself, flaws and all. Rather than imperfections and failures, focus on your positive attributes and achievements. The loveliest people I know have none of the external features of loveliness but shine with the internal beauty of caring, compassion and consideration of others.
選擇接受你自己，接受你的缺點以及全部。聚焦於自己的積極屬性和成就，而非缺陷和失敗。我認識的最可愛的人，沒有任何關乎可愛的外在特徵，而是因爲體貼、有同理心、爲他人着想而散發出內在美。Practice resilience. Rather than let loss, stress, failure or trauma overwhelm you, use them as learning experiences and steppingstones to a better future. Remember the expression: When life hands you a lemon, make lemonade.
訓練復原力。不要被損失、壓力、失敗和創傷擊垮，而是要把它們當成前車之鑑和通往更美好未來的墊腳石。記住一句話：如果生活給了你檸檬，那就用它做檸檬水吧。Practice mindfulness. Ruminating on past problems or future difficulties drains mental resources and steals attention from current pleasures. Let go of things you can’t control and focus on the here-and-now. Consider taking a course in insight meditation.
進行正念練習。總是想着過去的問題或未來的困難，會讓人神思枯竭，無力關注眼前的樂趣。別去管你無法控制的事情，專注於當下吧。不妨考慮參加內觀修行課程。
