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Study after study
一个又一个的研究
is coming to the same conclusion.
证实了相同的结论
The CDC recently conducted a survey
疾病防治中心(CDC)最近进行了一次调查
where they asked respondents simply to tell them
他们简单地要求受试者来报告
whether they experienced significant psychological distress
在过去的一周里自己是否经历了
in the previous week.
重大的心理困扰
And fewer older people answered affirmatively to that question
老年人承认有这类问题的
than middle-aged people,
比中年人少
and younger people as well.
也比年轻人少
And a recent Gallup poll
一项近期的盖洛普调查
asked participants
询问参与者
how much stress and worry and anger
有多少压力、焦虑和愤怒情绪
they had experienced the previous day.
他们在前一天体验过
And stress, worry, anger
压力、焦虑、愤怒
all decrease with age.
都随着年龄增长而减少
Now social scientists call this the paradox of aging.
社会学家称这种现象为老龄化悖论
After all, aging is not a piece of cake.
老龄化可不是小事
So we've asked all sorts of questions
我们问了各种各样的问题
to see if we could undo this finding.
试图推翻这个研究结论
We've asked whether it may be
我们提出这可能是因为
that the current generations of older people
现在正值老年的这一代人
are and always have been
一直以来都是
the greatest generations.
最伟大的一代人
That is that younger people today
而现在的年青一代
may not typically experience these improvements
可能不会在成长过程中
as they grow older.
经历同样的进步
We've asked,
我们也提出
well maybe older people are just trying to put a positive spin
也许老年人只是在发扬阿Q精神
on an otherwise depressing existence.
来应对令人沮丧的事实
But the more we've tried to disavow this finding,
然而我们越是想要颠覆这个结论
the more evidence we find
反而找到越多的证据
to support it.
来支持这个结论
Years ago, my colleagues and I embarked on a study
很多年前，我和同事一起开始了一项研究
where we followed the same group of people over a 10-year period.
我们对同一组人进行跟踪调查长达十年
Originally the sample was aged 18 to 94.
这组人最开始的年龄从18岁到94岁不等
And we studied whether and how their emotional experiences changed
我们研究了他们的情绪体验
as they grew older.
是否随着岁月而改变
Our participants would carry electronic pagers
研究参与者随身携带电子纸张
for a week at a time,
每次持续一周时间
and we'd page them throughout the day and evenings at random times.
我们在早晚的任意时间呼叫他们
And every time we paged them
每一次我们呼叫他们
we'd ask them to answer several questions --
我们会问他们几个问题
On a one to seven scale, how happy are you right now?
用1到7的量表来衡量他们当时高兴的程度
How sad are you right now?
悲伤的程度
How frustrated are you right now? --
沮丧的程度
so that we could get a sense
这样我们就能
of the kinds of emotions and feelings they were having
监测到他们情绪和感觉上的
in their day-to-day lives.
日常状况
And using this intense study
通过这种
of individuals,
对个人的密集调查
we find that it's not one particular generation
我们发现并没有任何一代人
that's doing better than the others,
比其他人更好
but the same individuals over time
但是同一个人随着年岁增长
come to report relatively greater
开始报告
positive experience.
相对更积极的体验
Now you see this slight downturn
现在你看到在非常高的年龄
at very advanced ages.
这里有些许下降
And there is a slight downturn.
这里的确有一些下降
But at no point does it return
但是绝没有回复到
to the levels we see
他们
in early adulthood.
早期成年期的水平
Now it's really too simplistic
当然，光说
to say that older people are "happy."
老年人更“快乐”，那太过草率
In our study, they are more positive,
在我们的研究里，他们更积极
but they're also more likely than younger people
但他们也比年轻人
to experience mixed emotions --
更能体会到复杂的情感
sadness at the same time you experience happiness;
悲喜交加
you know, that tear in the eye
你们知道
when you're smiling at a friend.
就是冲着朋友微笑的同时眼含泪花
And other research has shown
有其他研究显示
that older people seem to engage with sadness
老年人能够
more comfortably.
更从容地应对悲伤
They're more accepting of sadness than younger people are.
他们比年轻人更能接受悲伤情绪
And we suspect that this may help to explain
我们怀疑这能帮助解释
why older people are better than younger people
为什么老年人比年轻人
at solving hotly-charged emotional conflicts and debates.
更擅长处理激烈的情绪冲突和争论
Older people can view injustice
老年人看待不公
with compassion,
能够带着怜悯
but not despair.
而不是绝望
And all things being equal,
在同等条件下
older people direct their cognitive resources,
老年人会将自己的认知资源
like attention and memory,
比如注意力和记忆力
to positive information more than negative.
更多地导向积极信息，而不是消极信息
If we show older, middle-aged, younger people images,
我们向老年组、中年组和青年组展示图像
like the ones you see on the screen,
正如你们在屏幕上看到的
and we later ask them
过后我们让他们
to recall all the images that they can,
回忆他们看到的图像
older people, but not younger people,
老年组，而非青年组
remember more positive images
记得的积极图像
than negative images.
多过消极图像
We've asked older and younger people
我们让老年组和青年组
to view faces in laboratory studies,
去看实验室研究所用的脸部表情
some frowning, some smiling.
一些皱眉、一些微笑
Older people look toward the smiling faces
老年组看向微笑的脸
and away from the frowning, angry faces.
而回避皱眉的、愤怒的脸
In day-to-day life,
在日常生活中
this translates into greater enjoyment
这转换成更大的乐趣
and satisfaction.
以及满足
