基於科學的微調 How to Have a Good Day by Caroline Webb
Big claims are made for what neuroscience, behavioural economics and psychology can do for us. Some authors give the impression that certain outcomes can be almost guaranteed if you approach human interactions with the right bag of tricks.
神經科學、行爲經濟學和心理學對我們有什麼用處？人們有些誇大其詞。一些作者給我們這樣一種印象，如果你與人交往中用對了技巧，那麼你幾乎可以確定能得到某種結果。
Fortunately, Caroline Webb, a former partner at management consultancy McKinsey, is not one of those authors. She adopts a restrained tone when drawing on emerging discoveries about the brain and human psychology.
所幸管理諮詢公司麥肯錫(McKinsey)前合夥人卡羅琳韋布(Caroline Webb)不是這樣的作者。她對於人類大腦和心理新發現的運用持一種剋制的論調。
Although she read hundreds of academic papers before writing this book, Webb’s purpose is practical, as captured by the understated title. She offers what she calls “science-based tweaks” in behaviour and attitudes which could help you have a better day at work.
雖然韋布在寫這本書之前閱讀了幾百篇學術論文，就像其低調的書名顯示出的那樣，她的目標是務實的。她指出，通過對行爲和態度進行“基於科學的微調”，可以幫助你在工作中表現得更好。
Webb briskly summarises some of the findings made by psychologists and neuroscientists that are increasingly familiar. She returns constantly to the context of the workplace, citing practical examples rather than speculating about the psychological potential of humankind.
韋布乾淨利落地總結了幾條心理學家和神經學家越來越被人熟知的幾條發現。她沒有對人類的心理潛力妄加猜測，而是不斷回到職場環境下引用工作之中的實例。
Reflecting on a grumpy videoconference for which she was underprepared and that got a day off to a bad start, she has three observations, based on her study of how our minds work.
她反思了自己因爲準備不足在一場視頻會議上發脾氣的經歷，那場會議給當天開了一個不好的頭。對此，她基於自己對人類心理的研究，總結了三條發現。
First, priorities and assumptions determine our perceptions to a surprising extent. Second, setting the right kind of goals lifts our performance and makes us feel good. And third, what we imagine in our mind’s eye can shape our real-life experience. Webb’s book is essentially about “focusing on the right things, and organising your time to give those priorities your best attention”. This is not wishful thinking. That focus and “best attention” are based on working with our human nature, not against it.
第一，優先事項和假設對認知的決定作用是驚人的。第二，設定恰當的目標可以提升我們的表現，讓我們感覺良好。第三，我們內心的設想可以造就我們現實生活的經歷。韋布的書基本上講的是“關注正確的事物，安排好時間，將最好的注意力集中在那些優先事項上”。這不是主觀上一廂情願的想法。這種關注和“最好的注意力”是順應人性的，而非與之相左。
We should not just let the day happen to us, she says. A quick daily intention-setting routine can help, though we should set specific goals in “bite-sized chunks”. Any to-do list should be of today’s tasks only, otherwise our brains will be overwhelmed.
她說，我們不能隨波逐流地度日。每天迅速設立全天的目標是有用的，不過我們應該按照“一口吃完的份量”來設定具體目標。任何待辦事項應該只是今天之內完成的任務，否則我們的大腦會應接不暇。
We should plan downtime and avoid “decision fatigue”. “Pit stops are not wasted time — they’re an essential part of an efficient, well-planned race,” she says. We need enough sleep. “As one CEO I know put it, going short of sleep is like forgetting to save a document that you’ve worked on all we don’t regularly rest and refuel our brain, the quality of our reasoning, self-control and planning declines sharply.”
我們應該規劃休息時間，避免陷入“決策疲勞”。“停車加油休息不是浪費時間——而是一場規劃良好的高效競賽中必不可少的一環，”她說。我們需要足夠的睡眠。“就像我認識的一名CEO所說的，睡眠不足就像你沒有保存你處理了一整天的文件……如果我們不能規律作息，給大腦充電，那麼我們理性思考、自控和規劃的能力就會大幅下降。”
The science does not all lead to dutiful conclusions. Gossip is healthy. Why? “Merely getting answers to questions visibly activates the reward system in people who are lying in a brain scanner,” Webb writes.
科學得出的結論並不全像人們想的那樣。八卦是有益健康的。爲什麼呢？“通過觀察腦部掃描儀，僅僅是得到問題的答案就能夠顯著激活人腦的獎勵系統，”韋布寫到。
And we can prime ourselves to perform better, too. The author admits to humming Donna Summer’s “I Feel Love” to herself before client workshops.
此外，我們還能通過事前準備來讓自己表現得更好。韋布坦言，她開客戶研討會前會哼唱唐娜薩默(Donna Summer)的歌曲《我感到了愛》(I Feel Love)。
What else does science reveal that will help us have a good day? “Multitasking” damages productivity: “We’re far more productive if we singletask.”
科學上還有什麼發現能幫我們過好一天？“同時處理多項任務”會降低我們的工作效率：“當我們只處理一項任務的時候，效率會高得多。”
The routines of work can sometimes make it seem like a Sisyphean task. But, as Albert Camus said, we have to believe that Sisyphus is happy. And think how much happier he might have been if he had known the words to “I Feel Love”.
日復一日的工作有時候會讓我們覺得自己像西西弗斯(Sisyphus)一般周而復始地推着石頭。但是，就像阿爾貝加繆(Albert Camus)說的那樣，我們必須相信西西弗斯是快樂的。而且去想象如果他知道《我感到了愛》的歌詞，他肯定會更加快樂。
