你生活在过去：英语精读讲义

Hey, Vsauce.

嘿，Vsauce。

Michael here and today we are going to be talking about the past.

我是Michael，今天我们要聊聊过去。

But not like history.

但不是历史那种过去。

In fact, we will be talking about what we call now, 語法

其实，我们要聊的是我们所谓的“现在”，

this very newest moment in time.

也就是时间中这个最新的瞬间。

And the fact that we can never really be aware of or live in what we call now

以及为什么我们永远无法真正感知或活在所谓的“现在”

because it takes time for our brain to process the information about what's happening now.

因为大脑处理此刻正在发生之事的信息需要时间。

And it takes time for that information to get from the rest of our body to our brain.

而这些信息从身体其他部位传到大脑也需要时间。

In fact,

事实上，

the taller you are,

你个子越高，

the further back from now,

离“现在”就越远，

the further back in the past you live.

你就活在越久远的过去里。

But more importantly,

但更重要的是，

why do we call emotional relationship-based movies targeted at females,

为什么我们把以女性为目标观众、主打情感关系的电影

chick flicks?

叫作“chick flick”？

Well,

嗯，

for the answers to these questions,

要回答这些问题，

we're going to start with the flash lag effect.

我们得先从闪光滞后效应说起。

David Eagleman has done some amazing research on this effect.

David Eagleman对这种效应做过一些很精彩的研究。

It's what occurs when a participant looks at a ring moving around in a circle.

当参与者看着一个沿圆形轨迹移动的圆环时，就会出现这种效应。

A light is flashed exactly in the middle of the ring.

一道光恰好在圆环中央闪现。

This is exactly what the photons landing on their retinas represent.

这正是落在他们视网膜上的光子所呈现的景象。

But when asked what they saw, 語法

但当被问到看见了什么时，

participants responded that they saw this.

参与者却回答说，他们看到的是这样。

Now,

那么，

for the longest time, 短語搭配

长期以来，

it was hypothesized that people said this because our brains guess ahead. 用詞

人们一直推测，之所以会这么说，是因为我们的大脑会预判接下来发生的事。

Our brain assumed that the ring would continue doing what it had been doing 語法

大脑认定圆环会继续保持原来的运动状态，

and figured it would be safer to go ahead and say that the ring was already a bit ahead of the light. 短語搭配

并认为保险起见，不妨直接说圆环已经比闪光领先了一点。

But Eagleman wanted to know what would happen 語法

但Eagleman想知道会发生什么，

if when that flash of light occurred in the middle of the ring,

如果光在圆环中央闪现的那一刻，

the ring all of a sudden reversed direction 短語搭配

圆环突然反转方向，

and spun around the other way.

朝另一边转去。

If our brains really are guessing ahead, 語法

如果我们的大脑真的在提前预判，

participants should still say that they saw this

参与者应该仍会说自己看到的是这样，

because the brain figured that the ring would be there

因为大脑原本认定圆环会出现在那里，

and was surprised when it went the other direction.

只是当它转向另一边时感到意外。

But instead,

然而事实上，

participants said that they saw this.

参与者说自己看到的是这样。

Now,

那么，

how could they have seen this if they had no way of knowing that the ring was going to reverse direction? 短語搭配

如果他们根本不可能知道圆环会反转方向，又怎么会看到这样呢？

Were their brains clairvoyant?

难道他们的大脑有预知能力？

Can our brains see into the future?

我们的大脑能看见未来吗？

As it turns out, 表達脈絡

事实证明，

no.

不能。

What's really happening here is that our eyeballs are receiving an image,

这里真正发生的，是我们的眼睛接收到了一幅图像，

an image of a flash of light inside a ring.

一幅圆环内出现闪光的图像。

But then our brains wait a little bit to make sure that we have the full story. 習語

但随后，大脑会稍等片刻，以确保掌握了完整情况。

And as the ring begins to reverse direction,

当圆环开始反转方向时，

that new information is incorporated into what we actually sense, 短語搭配

这条新信息会被纳入我们实际感受到的内容中，

and we become aware of the wrong version of now.

于是我们意识到的是一个错误版本的“现在”。

By doing more studies with rings traveling at different speeds, 語法

通过进一步研究以不同速度运动的圆环，

Eagleman was able to determine that what we are aware of as now,

Eagleman得以确定，我们所感知的“现在”，

what our brain tells us is happening,

也就是大脑告诉我们正在发生的事，

actually happened 80 milliseconds in the past.

其实发生在80毫秒之前。

Now,

那么，

80 milliseconds is not a lot of time,

80毫秒并不算很长，

but it's a little scary to think that our brain has no physical way of knowing, 語法

但一想到从物理上说，我们的大脑根本无法知道“现在”、

being aware of,

感知“现在”，

or even living anywhere but slightly in the past.

甚至无法活在略微滞后的过去之外，还是有点吓人。

Nerve impulses travel through our body at a top speed of around 250 mi/h. 短語搭配

神经冲动在我们体内传递的最高速度约为每小时250英里。

But now,

不过现在，

look at Bill Warner on a motorcycle.

看看骑摩托车的Bill Warner。

He's going really fast.

他的速度非常快。

In fact,

事实上，

he's going 278 mi/h,

他的时速达到了278英里，

which means that this guy on a motorcycle is traveling faster than my brain can even figure out what now is.

这意味着这个骑摩托车的人跑得比我的大脑弄清什么是“现在”的速度还快。

Keep in mind that 250 mi/h is the top speed for neural impulses within our body. 語氣意圖

请记住，神经冲动在我们体内的最高传递速度是每小时250英里。

If I tap my nose and tap my toes at the exact same time,

如果我同时轻点鼻子和脚趾，

it feels instantaneous,

感觉会像是同一瞬间发生的，

even though there is no physical way that the brain could actually be receiving that.

尽管从物理上说，大脑根本不可能同时接收到这两条信息。

Because when I tap my nose,

因为当我轻点鼻子时，

the message goes right into my brain.

信号会直接进入大脑。

But when I tap my toes,

可当我轻点脚趾时，

the message has to travel across the entire length of my body.

信号必须跨越我身体的整个长度。

The brain waits momentarily to make sure that there's nothing else going on or coming in

大脑会稍等片刻，确认没有别的事情正在发生，也没有其他信息传来，

and then corroborates all that information and we become aware that the taps were indeed instantaneous. 用詞

然后核对所有信息，于是我们便意识到两次触碰确实是同时发生的。

But we don't become aware of that tap until the brain is sure,

但直到大脑确认无误，我们才会感知到那次触碰，

which means that the taller you are, 語法

这意味着你个子越高，

the longer the brain has to wait for that physical message to come from your toes,

大脑就必须等越久，才能收到来自脚趾的物理信号，

the further behind you technically are in actually feeling the touch.

严格来说，你真正感觉到触碰的时间就越滞后。

The further back in the past you're living.

你也就生活在越久远的过去。

When there's a delay like that between sensory information or brain processing,

当感觉信息或大脑处理过程中出现这样的延迟时，

we become used to that delay and begin to just see them as instantaneous events, 講解

我们会习惯这种延迟，开始把它们直接视为同时发生的事件，

which leads to some weird behavior.

这会导致一些奇怪的行为。

If participants are pushing a button that causes a light to flash with a delay between the two actions of about 80 milliseconds,

如果参与者按下按钮后会有灯闪烁，而两个动作之间约有80毫秒的延迟，

they will learn that it's instantaneous.

他们会逐渐把这当成同时发生。

But if the researchers shorten that distance so that now when the button is pushed,

但如果研究人员缩短这段间隔，让按钮按下后，

the light flashes in only say 40 milliseconds,

灯只需比如40毫秒就闪烁，

the participants even though they are actually causing the light to come on, 短語動詞

即使灯确实是参与者自己弄亮的，

will deny it and they'll say,

他们也会否认，并说：

"No way, that came on before I pushed the button. 語氣意圖

“不可能，灯在我按按钮之前就亮了。

I didn't do it."

不是我弄亮的。”

That was also a flash of light.

刚才那也是一道闪光。

But light bulbs don't receive a continuous direct stream of electricity through the wire.

但灯泡并不是通过电线持续接收一股方向不变的电流。

Instead,

相反，

they receive alternating current in most businesses and households. 文化背景

大多数商业场所和家庭使用的都是交流电。

So,

所以，

the filament is actually being excited and then left alone about 50 to 60 times a second. 用詞

灯丝实际上每秒会通电再断电约50到60次。

But our eyeballs don't notice any flicker for a few reasons. 表達脈絡

但出于几个原因，我们的眼睛察觉不到任何闪烁。

One,

第一，

it's happening really fast.

这个过程发生得非常快。

But mainly because that filament continues to be super hot during that little gap in time.

但主要原因是，在那一小段空隙里，灯丝仍然保持着极高的温度。

The only way to really see this flicker is to use a high frame rate camera 語法

要真正看见这种闪烁，唯一的办法就是使用高帧率摄像机，

when a light bulb is being turned on or off so it's cooler.

在灯泡开启或关闭、温度较低时拍摄。

There's the flicker.

看，闪烁出现了。

But you know what else flickers? 表達脈絡

但你知道还有什么也会闪烁吗？

A film projector.

电影放映机。

It's easy to think that a film projector works merely because a roll of film is dragged across a light source. 表達脈絡

人们很容易以为，电影放映机的工作原理不过是让一卷胶片从光源前划过。

But if that were the case, 語法

但如果真是这样，

a movie screen would be a blur of fast-moving images.

电影银幕上只会是一团飞速移动的模糊影像。

Instead,

实际上，

a shutter is used.

放映机使用了快门。

The shutter opens and closes to let an image hit the screen

快门开合，让一幅画面投到银幕上，

and then when shut,

然后在快门关闭时，

the next image comes into place

下一幅画面移动到位，

and it opens and puts that on the screen.

快门再打开，把它投到银幕上。

Now,

那么，

early films were shot at only about 16 frames per second. 用詞

早期电影的拍摄速度只有每秒约16帧。

So,

所以，

sitting in the theater,

坐在电影院里时，

you would see a bright image flashed 16 times on the screen,

你会看到明亮的影像每秒在银幕上闪现16次，

which was not fast enough to not be noticeable. 語法

这个速度还不足以让闪烁变得难以察觉。

So,

因此，

movies flickered,

电影会不停闪烁，

which is why they were called flicks, 文化背景

所以它们被称为“flick”，

which is where we get the word chick flick.

而“chick flick”这个说法正是由此而来。

All right,

好了，

I'm going to go now. 習語

我现在要走了。

And of course,

当然，

by now,

我说的“现在”，

I mean I will leave 80 milliseconds before you become aware that I've left.

是指我会在你意识到我已经离开之前80毫秒离开。

I put three links to previous Vsauce videos in the description

我在简介里放了三个以往Vsauce视频的链接，

that are related to this one,

它们都和这期视频有关，

if you haven't seen them yet.

如果你还没看过的话，可以去看看。

One is about why time feels like it's going faster as we get older.

其中一个讲的是，为什么随着年龄增长，我们会觉得时间过得越来越快。

Another is about the frame rate of the eyeball.

另一个讲的是眼球的帧率。

And the other is about the stopped clock illusion.

还有一个讲的是停表错觉。

Have fun and as always,

祝你看得开心，还是那句话，

thanks for watching.

感谢观看。