評論
打印
Since ancient times, the elusive concept of wisdom has figured prominently in philosophical and religious texts. The question remains compelling: What is wisdom, and how does it play out in individual lives? Most psychologists agree that if you define wisdom as maintaining positive well-being and kindness in the face of challenges, it is one of the most important qualities one can possess to age successfully — and to face physical decline and death.
自古以來，智慧的概念一直在哲學和宗教文獻中占據了顯赫的地位。相關問題至今仍難以捉摸，引人深思：什么是智慧？它在一個人的生活中發揮了怎樣的作用？大多數心理學家都認同，如果智慧的定義就是在挑戰面前仍可以保持積極健康和慈悲的心態，那么，可以說它是一個人能夠順利步入老年階段，并直面體力的衰退乃至死亡所需擁有的最重要的品質。
Vivian Clayton, a geriatric neuropsychologist in Orinda, Calif., developed a definition of wisdom in the 1970s, when she was a graduate student, that has served as a foundation for research on the subject ever since. After scouring ancient texts for evocations of wisdom, she found that most people described as wise were decision makers. So she asked a group of law students, law professors and retired judges to name the characteristics of a wise person. Based on an analysis of their answers, she determined that wisdom consists of three key components: cognition, reflection and compassion.
維維安·克萊頓(Vivian Clayton)是加州奧林達市的一名老年神經心理學家。在20世紀70年代攻讀研究生時，她就對智慧作出了自己的定義，并在其后以此為基礎就這一課題展開研究。她遍查了古籍中關于智慧的描述，發現被大多數人冠以“智者”之名的人都是決策者。于是她分別要求法律系學生、法學教授和退休法官列舉出他們各自心目中智者的特征，并對他們的答案進行了分析。根據分析的結果，她認定智慧包含三個關鍵的組成部分：認知(cognition)、反思(reflection)和悲憫(compassion)。
Unfortunately, research shows that cognitive functioning slows as people age. But speed isn't everything. A recent study in Topics in Cognitive Science pointed out that older people have much more information in their brains than younger ones, so retrieving it naturally takes longer. And the quality of the information in the older brain is more nuanced. While younger people were faster in tests of cognitive performance, older people showed "greater sensitivity to fine-grained differences," the study found.
不幸的是，研究表明，認知功能運作會隨著人體的衰老而減慢。但速度并不能代表一切?！墩J知科學論題》雜志(Topics in Cognitive Science)上最近刊登的一項研究指出，老年人頭腦中的信息要多比年輕人多得多，因此要提取信息自然也就需要更長的時間。此外，老年人頭腦中的信息質量也更加細致。研究發現，雖然年輕人在認知能力測試中速度較快，但老年人“對細微的差異顯示出更大的敏感性”。
It stands to reason that the more information people have in their brains, the more they can detect familiar patterns. Elkhonon Goldberg, a neuroscientist in New York and author of "The Wisdom Paradox," says that "cognitive templates" develop in the older brain based on pattern recognition, and that these can form the basis for wise behavior and decisions.
按理說，人頭腦中的信息越多，就越容易甄別出熟悉的模式。紐約的一名神經科學家、《智慧悖論》(The Wisdom Paradox)一書作者艾克納恩·戈德堡(Elkhonon Goldberg)指出，在模式識別的基礎上，老年人的頭腦中可建立起“認知模板”，而這將為明智的行為和決策奠定基礎。
According to Dr. Clayton, one must take time to gain insights and perspectives from one's cognitive knowledge to be wise (the reflective dimension). Then one can use those insights to understand and help others (the compassionate dimension).
克萊頓博士認為，要成為一名智者，一個人必須花費時間從認知性知識中提取出深層次的見解和觀點（反思構面）。然后再使用它們來理解和幫助他人（悲憫構面）。
Working from Dr. Clayton's framework, Monika Ardelt, an associate sociology professor at the University of Florida in Gainesville, felt a need to expand on studies of old age because of research showing that satisfaction late in life consists of things like maintaining physical and mental health, volunteering and having positive relationships with others. But this isn't always possible if the body breaks down, if social roles are diminished and if people suffer major losses. "So these people cannot age successfully? They have to give up?" she recalled asking herself.
從克萊頓博士的框架出發，佛羅里達大學（University of Florida，位于美國蓋恩斯維爾市）的社會學副教授莫妮卡·阿爾德特(Monika Ardelt)在工作中體會到，有必要加強關于老年人的研究，這是因為研究顯示，對晚年生活的滿意度包含維持身心健康、不求回報付出、與他人保持積極的關系等要素。但如果一個人身體衰弱，或他承擔的社會角色有所減弱，又或者他遭受了重大損失，很可能就無法滿足這些要素。“那么，這些人是不是就不能安享晚年了？他們是否只能放棄希望？”她記得曾這樣問自己。
Wisdom, she has found, is the ace in the hole that can help even severely impaired people find meaning, contentment and acceptance in later life.
事實并非如此。阿爾德特教授發現還有一張王牌，即使是深受重創的人，也可以藉此找到人生意義，在晚年中怡然自安，這張王牌就是智慧。
She developed a scale consisting of 39 questions aimed at measuring three dimensions of wisdom. People responding to statements on Professor Ardelt's wisdom scale — things like "a problem has little attraction for me if I don't think it has a solution," or "I can be comfortable with all kinds of people" and "I'm easily irritated by people who argue with me" — were not told they were being measured for wisdom. Respondents later answered questions about hypothetical challenges and crises, and those who showed evidence of high wisdom were also more likely to have better coping skills, Professor Ardelt found. In general, for example, they said they would be more active than passive about dealing with hardship.
她制定了一份由39個問題組成的量表，以期衡量智慧的三重構面。在這張量表中，可以讀到諸如此類的陳述：“如果我覺得某個問題根本沒辦法解決，那么它對我就沒什么吸引力”，“我跟形形色色的人都相處得很好”，或者“我很容易被跟我爭論的人激怒”等等。但她并沒有告訴受訪者這是一項衡量智慧水平的測試。然后，她又假設了一些挑戰和危機，讓受訪者回答了相關問題。綜合上述結果，阿爾德特教授發現，在測試中顯示出大智慧的人也擁有更高明的處事技巧。譬如一般來說，他們在應對困難時心態往往更為主動積極。
An impediment to wisdom is thinking, "I can't stand who I am now because I'm not who I used to be," said Isabella S. Bick, a psychotherapist who, at 81, still practices part time out of her home in Sharon, Conn. She has aging clients who are upset by a perceived worsening of their looks, their sexual performance, their physical abilities, their memory. For them, as for herself, an acceptance of aging is necessary for growth, but "it's not a resigned acceptance; it's an embracing acceptance," she said.
心理治療師伊莎貝拉·S·比克(Isabella S. Bick)說，總是想著“我真受不了我現在的樣子，因為我跟以前簡直判若兩人”，這是通往智慧人生的一大阻礙。雖然已經81歲高齡，她仍時不時離開她位于康涅狄格州沙倫市的家，從事非全職的治療工作。在她的客戶中，有一些老人因自己的外貌、性能力、體力或記憶力不如以往而大感沮喪。對于他們（以及她自己）而言，接受衰老是成長的必要條件，她說，但“這不是聽天由命的不得已而為之；而是欣然地接受自然規律”。
"Wise people are able to accept reality as it is, with equanimity," Professor Ardelt said. Her research shows that when people in nursing homes or with a terminal illness score high on her wisdom scale, they also report a greater sense of well-being. "If things are really bad, it's good to be wise," she said.
“智者能夠接受現實本來的面目，并泰然處之，”阿爾德特教授說。她的研究顯示，住在養老院的人或絕癥患者的智慧量表得分較高，他們所報告的幸福感也較強?！叭绻F實已經夠糟糕了，保持明智就更加重要，”她說。
The Berlin Wisdom Project, a research effort begun in the 1980s that sought to define wisdom by studying ancient and modern texts, called it "an expert knowledge system concerning the fundamental pragmatics of life." A co-founder of the project, Ursula M. Staudinger, went on to distinguish between general wisdom, the kind that involves understanding life from an observer's point of view (for example, as an advice giver), and personal wisdom, which involves deep insight into one's own life.
“柏林智慧項目”(Berlin Wisdom Project)是一項于20世紀80年代啟動的研究，該項目通過研讀古代和現代的文獻，將智慧定義為：“關于生活基本實用領域的專業知識體系。”該項目的創始人之一，厄休拉·M·斯托丁格(Ursula M. Staudinger)還進一步將其區分為一般智慧和個人智慧，前者指從觀察者（比方說，從一個提供建議的外人）的角度來認識生命，后者指深入洞察自己的人生。
True personal wisdom involves five elements, said Professor Staudinger, now a life span psychologist and professor at Columbia University. They are self-insight; the ability to demonstrate personal growth; self-awareness in terms of your historical era and your family history; understanding that priorities and values, including your own, are not absolute; and an awareness of life's ambiguities.
現任美國哥倫比亞大學(Columbia University)生涯發展心理學家的斯托丁格教授表示，真正的個人智慧包括五個要素，分別為：自我洞察力；證明個人成長的能力；對所處的歷史時代和家族史的自我意識；認識到凡事（包括你自己）的先后緩急和價值都不是絕對的；認識到生活中充滿了不確定性。
Wisdom in this sense is extremely rare, Professor Staudinger said, and research has shown that it actually declines in the final decades. As a coping strategy, it is better to be positive about life when you are older, she said, and the older people skew that way. They are more likely to look back on their lives and say that the events that occurred were for the best; a wise person would fully acknowledge mistakes and losses, and still try to improve.
斯托丁格教授說，滿足上述意義的智慧實際上極為罕見，而且研究表明，在人生的最后幾十年它還會呈下降趨勢。她說，應對策略之一是在晚年也要盡量保持積極的生活態度，這樣才可能逆轉這一趨勢。智慧的老年人更有可能回過頭去審視他們的生活，并認可迄今所發生的所有事情都是為了追求最好的結果；他們勇于承認自己的錯誤和損失，并始終盡自己所能去改善現狀。
True wisdom involves recognizing the negative both within and outside ourselves and trying to learn from it, she said.
她補充道，真正的智慧包括認識到自己內外部的負面因素，并試圖從中汲取教訓。
Modern definitions of wisdom tend to stress kindness — even if it's not on the order of Buddha, Gandhi or the Dalai Lama. Wisdom is characterized by a "reduction in self-centeredness," Professor Ardelt said. Wise people try to understand situations from multiple perspectives, not just their own, and they show tolerance as a result.
智慧的現代定義往往更強調慈悲——盡管佛陀、甘地和達賴喇嘛的教誨中并沒有這么一條。智慧的顯著特點在于“減少自我中心”，阿爾德特教授說。智者會嘗試從多個角度而不僅從他們自己的立場來了解情況，因此表現得更加寬容。
"There's evidence that people who rank high in neuroticism are unlikely to be wise," said Laura L. Carstensen, a psychology professor and founding director of the Stanford Center on Longevity in California. "They see things in a self-centered and negative way and so they fail to benefit emotionally from experience, even though they may be very intelligent."
“有證據表明，神經質指數偏高的人不太可能會很明智，”加州斯坦福長壽研究中心(Stanford Center on Longevity in California)的創始主任、心理學教授勞拉·L·卡斯滕森(Laura L. Carstensen)說：“他們以自我中心和消極的方式來看待世界，所以他們無法從經驗中獲得情感層面上的效益——即使他們可能相當聰明?！?/div>
Professor Carstensen does not consider herself a wisdom researcher because "there's a piece of me that thinks it's not useful to use a term that's been around for 1,000 years." Some researchers are skeptical about testing for such an amorphous trait as wisdom.
卡斯滕森教授并不認為自己是一名“智慧”的研究人員，因為“在我心里，總有個小小聲音說：使用一個已經有1000來年歷史的術語沒什么用處?！边€有一些研究人員對檢測像智慧這樣含糊的特性持懷疑態度。
But Professor Carstensen does study emotional regulation, and says that is a key component of wisdom.
但卡斯滕森教授對情緒調節也進行了研究，并表示這是智慧的一個重要組成部分。
If you are wise, she said, "You're not only regulating your emotional state, you're also attending to another person's emotional state." She added: "You're not focusing so much on what you need and deserve, but on what you can contribute."
作為智者，“你不僅要有能力調節自己的情緒狀態，還要能顧及他人的情緒狀態?！彼又a充道：“你不會對自己需要或應得的東西斤斤計較，反之，你更在乎可以做出什么貢獻?！?/div>
Daniel Goleman, author of "Focus" and "Emotional Intelligence," said, "One aspect of wisdom is having a very wide horizon which doesn't center on ourselves," or even on our group or organization.
《專注力》(Focus)和《情商》(Emotional Intelligence)的作者丹尼爾·戈爾曼(Daniel Goleman)認為，“智慧的特征之一是擁有寬廣的見識，且并不以自己”甚至自己所在的團體或組織為中心。
He said an important sign of wisdom was "generativity,” a term used by the psychologist Erik Erikson, who developed an influential theory on stages of the human life span. Generativity means giving back without needing anything in return, Dr. Goleman said. The form of giving back could be creative, social, personal or financial, and "the wisest people do that in a way that doesn't see their lifetime as limiting when this might happen,” he said.
心理學家埃里克·埃里克松(Erik Erikson)提出了人生社會心理發展階段這一影響深遠的理論，他還使用“慷慨”這一術語來形容智慧。戈爾曼博士說，“慷慨”是智慧的一個重要標志，它表示不求回報的付出。付出的形式多種多樣，可以是創造力方面的，社會意義上的，個人角度上的，也可以是經濟層面上的，此外，“智者還認為，生有涯，貢獻卻無涯，”他說。
Dr. Goleman interviewed Erikson, along with his wife, Joan, in the late 1980s, when both were in their 80s. Erikson's theory of human development had initially included eight stages, from infancy to old age. When the Eriksons themselves reached old age, though, they found a need to add a ninth stage of development, one in which wisdom plays a crucial role. "They depict an old age in which one has enough conviction in one's own completeness to ward off the despair that gradual physical disintegration can too easily bring," Dr. Goleman wrote in The Times.
20世紀80年代后期，戈爾曼博士采訪了年已八旬的埃里克松及其妻子瓊(Joan)。最初，埃里克松的人生社會心理發展理論包括從幼年直至老年的八個階段。然而，當埃里克松夫婦自己邁入老年之后，他們發現還需要補充第九個發展階段，且智慧在這一階段里發揮著至關重要的作用?！八麄兠枥L了這樣的一種晚年圖景：老年人對自己身心的完善充滿了自信，這種信心足以抵擋因身體逐漸衰老所帶來的絕望情緒，”戈爾曼博士在《紐約時報》上寫道。
In the final years of life, "Even the simple activities of daily living may present difficulty and conflict," Joan Erikson wrote in an expanded version of her husband's book, "The Life Cycle Completed." "No wonder elders become tired and often depressed." The book adds: "To face down despair with faith and appropriate humility is perhaps the wisest course."
到了暮年，“即便是日常生活中的簡單活動也可能成為難題，”瓊·埃里克松在她丈夫的著作《生命周期的完成》(The Life Cycle Completed)的擴展版中寫道。“無怪乎老年人開始感到疲憊，時而覺得沮喪?！边@本書補充道：“以信念和適度的謙遜來面對絕望或許是最明智的選擇?！?/div>
"One must join in the process of adaptation. With whatever tact and wisdom we can muster, disabilities must be accepted with lightness and humor."
“適應是每個人都必須邁進的過程。我們要調動起所有的機敏和智慧，以輕松和幽默的態度來接受殘障。”
Whatever the nature of one's limitations, simplifying one's life is also a sign of wisdom, Dr. Clayton said, for example, by giving your things away while you are still alive. Some people have trouble with the idea of settling for less — "they've gotten so used to the game of acquiring more," she said.
無論有著怎樣的局限性，都能夠將復雜的生活簡單化，例如，在你仍然活著的時候主動放手也是智慧的一個標志，克萊頓博士說。有些人對“知足常樂”這種想法并不買賬——“他們已經太過于習慣不斷索取，”她說。
Settling for less and simplifying is not the same as giving up. In fact, when older people lack challenges, self-absorption and stagnation may take over, the Eriksons said. The key is to set goals that match one's current capacities.
知足常樂和簡單生活不等同于放棄。埃里克松解釋道，事實上，老年人在缺乏挑戰時，“自我專注”(self-absorption)就可能占據他人生的主導地位，人也會隨之變得死氣沉沉。設定符合自己現有能力的目標非常關鍵。
Continuing education can be an important way to cultivate wisdom in the later years, researchers say, for one thing because it combats isolation. But training in practical skills may be less useful for older people than courses in the humanities that help people make sense of their lives, Professor Ardelt says. She and other researchers recommend classes in guided autobiography, or life review, as a way of strengthening wisdom. In guided autobiography, students write and share their life stories with the help of a trained instructor.
研究人員稱，接受繼續教育可作為老年人培養智慧的重要途徑，其原因之一是它可以使人不再那么孤獨。阿爾德特教授說，不過對于老年人來說，引導人們如何更有意義地生活的課程可能比實際操作技能的培訓更加有用。她和其他研究人員建議老年人參加“引導性自傳”(guided autobiography)或“生命回顧”(life review)之類的課程，以增進智慧。在“引導性自傳”課程中，受過專業培訓的指導人員將幫助學生們撰寫并分享他們的人生故事。
Dr. Clayton says there's a point in life when a fundamental shift occurs, and people start thinking about how much time they have left rather than how long they have lived. Reflecting on the meaning and structure of their lives, she said, can help people thrive after the balance shifts and there is much less time left than has gone before.
克雷頓博士指出，這一刻，人生發生了根本性轉變：人們開始思考他們的生命還剩下多少時間，而不是已經過去了多久。反思自己生活的意義和安排，可以幫助人們自如地應對這種重心的轉移，享受人生最后的夕陽紅。
| 重點單詞 | 查看全部解釋 | |||
| expand | [iks'pænd] |
想一想再看 v. 增加，詳述，擴展，使 ... 膨脹， |
聯想記憶 | |
| framework | ['freimwə:k] |
想一想再看 n. 結構，框架，參照標準，體系 |
||
| equanimity | [.i:kwə'nimiti] |
想一想再看 n. 平靜，鎮定 |
聯想記憶 | |
| despair | [di'spɛə] |
想一想再看 n. 絕望，失望 |
聯想記憶 | |
| psychotherapist | [.saikəu'θerəpist] |
想一想再看 n. 精神治療醫師 |
||
| strategy | ['strætidʒi] |
想一想再看 n. 戰略，策略 |
||
| intelligence | [in'telidʒəns] |
想一想再看 n. 理解力，智力 |
聯想記憶 | |
| reflective | [ri'flektiv] |
想一想再看 adj. 反射的，反映的;沉思的 adj. 【語】反身的 |
聯想記憶 | |
| crucial | ['kru:ʃəl] |
想一想再看 adj. 關鍵的，決定性的 |
聯想記憶 | |
| decision | [di'siʒən] |
想一想再看 n. 決定，決策 |
- 閱讀本文的人還閱讀了：
上一篇：肥胖有損大腦,運動修復智力
