你生活在過去：英語精讀講義

Hey, Vsauce.

嗨，Vsauce。

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

我是 Michael，今天我們要來聊聊過去。

But not like history.

但不是歷史那種過去。

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

其實，我們要聊的是我們所謂的「現在」，

this very newest moment in time.

也就是時間中最新的這一刻。

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

以及為什麼我們永遠無法真正感知或活在所謂的「現在」

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

因為大腦需要時間處理此刻正在發生之事的資訊。

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

而這些資訊從身體其他部位傳到大腦也需要時間。

In fact,

事實上，

the taller you are,

你長得越高，

the further back from now,

距離「現在」就越遠，

the further back in the past you live.

你就活在越久遠的過去裡。

But more importantly,

但更重要的是，

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

為什麼我們把以女性觀眾為主、聚焦感情關係的電影

chick flicks?

稱為「chick flick」？

Well,

這個嘛，

for the answers to these questions,

要回答這些問題，

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

我們要先從閃光延遲效應談起。

David Eagleman has done some amazing research on this effect.

David Eagleman 曾針對這種效應做過一些非常精彩的研究。

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

當受試者看著一個沿著圓形軌跡移動的圓環時，就會出現這種效應。

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

一道光正好在圓環中央閃現。

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

這正是落在他們視網膜上的光子所呈現的景象。

But when asked what they saw, 文法

但當受試者被問到看見了什麼時，

participants responded that they saw this.

他們卻回答說，自己看到的是這樣。

Now,

那麼，

for the longest time, 片語搭配

長久以來，

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

人們一直假設，大家之所以這麼說，是因為大腦會預測下一步。

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

大腦認為圓環會繼續維持原本的運動，

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

並覺得保險起見，乾脆判定圓環已經比閃光超前一點。

But Eagleman wanted to know what would happen 文法

但 Eagleman 想知道會發生什麼，

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

如果光在圓環中央閃現的那一刻，

the ring all of a sudden reversed direction 片語搭配

圓環突然反轉方向，

and spun around the other way.

改朝另一邊轉動。

If our brains really are guessing ahead, 文法

如果大腦真的會提前預測，

participants should still say that they saw this

受試者應該還是會說自己看到的是這樣，

because the brain figured that the ring would be there

因為大腦原本認定圓環會出現在那裡，

and was surprised when it went the other direction.

只是當它轉往另一邊時感到意外。

But instead,

然而，

participants said that they saw this.

受試者說自己看到的是這樣。

Now,

那麼，

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

如果他們根本不可能知道圓環會反轉方向，又怎麼會看到這樣呢？

Were their brains clairvoyant?

難道他們的大腦能預知未來？

Can our brains see into the future?

我們的大腦能看見未來嗎？

As it turns out, 表達脈絡

結果顯示，

no.

不能。

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

真正發生的情況，是我們的眼球接收到一幅影像，

an image of a flash of light inside a ring.

一幅圓環內出現閃光的影像。

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

但接著，大腦會稍等一下，確保自己掌握完整情況。

And as the ring begins to reverse direction,

當圓環開始反轉方向時，

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

這項新資訊會被納入我們實際感受到的內容，

and we become aware of the wrong version of now.

於是我們意識到的是錯誤版本的「現在」。

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

透過進一步研究以不同速度移動的圓環，

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

Eagleman 得以確定，我們所感知的「現在」，

what our brain tells us is happening,

也就是大腦告訴我們正在發生的事，

actually happened 80 milliseconds in the past.

其實發生在 80 毫秒以前。

Now,

那麼，

80 milliseconds is not a lot of time,

80 毫秒並不算很久，

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

但一想到從物理上來說，我們的大腦根本無法知道「現在」、

being aware of,

感知「現在」，

or even living anywhere but slightly in the past.

甚至無法活在稍微滯後的過去以外，還是有點嚇人。

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

神經衝動在我們體內傳遞的最高速度約為每小時 250 英里。

But now,

不過現在，

look at Bill Warner on a motorcycle.

看看騎著摩托車的 Bill Warner。

He's going really fast.

他的速度非常快。

In fact,

事實上，

he's going 278 mi/h,

他的時速高達 278 英里，

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

也就是說，這個騎摩托車的人跑得比我的大腦弄清楚什麼是「現在」還快。

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

請記住，神經衝動在我們體內的最高傳遞速度是每小時 250 英里。

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

如果我同時輕碰鼻子和腳趾，

it feels instantaneous,

感覺會像是同一瞬間發生，

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

儘管從物理上來說，大腦根本不可能同時收到這兩項資訊。

Because when I tap my nose,

因為當我輕碰鼻子時，

the message goes right into my brain.

訊號會直接傳進大腦。

But when I tap my toes,

但當我輕碰腳趾時，

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

訊號必須穿越我身體的整個長度。

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

大腦會稍等片刻，確認沒有其他事情正在發生，也沒有別的資訊傳來，

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

接著核對所有資訊，於是我們便意識到兩次觸碰確實是同時發生的。

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

但直到大腦確認無誤，我們才會感知到那次觸碰，

which means that the taller you are, 文法

這表示你長得越高，

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

大腦就得等越久，才能收到從腳趾傳來的物理訊號，

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

嚴格來說，你真正感覺到觸碰的時間也就越滯後。

The further back in the past you're living.

你也就活在越久以前的過去。

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

當感官資訊或大腦處理過程出現這類延遲時，

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

我們會習慣這種延遲，開始直接把它們視為同時發生的事件，

which leads to some weird behavior.

進而導致一些奇怪的行為。

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

如果受試者按下按鈕後會有燈閃爍，而兩個動作之間約有 80 毫秒的延遲，

they will learn that it's instantaneous.

他們會逐漸認為兩者是同時發生的。

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

但如果研究人員縮短這段間隔，讓按鈕按下後，

the light flashes in only say 40 milliseconds,

燈只要大約 40 毫秒就會閃爍，

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

即使燈確實是受試者自己弄亮的，

will deny it and they'll say,

他們也會否認，並說：

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

「不可能，那盞燈在我按按鈕之前就亮了。

I didn't do it."

不是我弄亮的。」

That was also a flash of light.

剛才那也是一道閃光。

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

但燈泡並不是透過電線持續接收一股方向不變的電流。

Instead,

相反地，

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

大多數商業場所和家庭使用的都是交流電。

So,

所以，

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

燈絲其實每秒會通電再斷電約 50 到 60 次。

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

但基於幾個原因，我們的眼睛察覺不到任何閃爍。

One,

第一，

it's happening really fast.

這個過程發生得非常快。

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

但主要原因是，在那一小段空檔裡，燈絲仍然維持極高的溫度。

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

要真正看見這種閃爍，唯一的方法就是使用高影格率攝影機，

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

在燈泡開啟或關閉、溫度較低時拍攝。

There's the flicker.

看，閃爍出現了。

But you know what else flickers? 表達脈絡

但你知道還有什麼也會閃爍嗎？

A film projector.

電影放映機。

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

人們很容易以為，電影放映機的運作原理只是讓一捲膠卷從光源前方通過。

But if that were the case, 文法

但如果真是這樣，

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

電影銀幕上只會是一團高速移動的模糊影像。

Instead,

實際上，

a shutter is used.

放映機使用了快門。

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

快門開合，讓一幅影像投射到銀幕上，

and then when shut,

接著在快門關閉時，

the next image comes into place

下一幅影像移動到位，

and it opens and puts that on the screen.

快門再打開，把它投射到銀幕上。

Now,

那麼，

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

早期電影的拍攝速度只有每秒大約 16 個影格。

So,

所以，

sitting in the theater,

坐在電影院裡時，

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

你會看到明亮影像每秒在銀幕上閃現 16 次，

which was not fast enough to not be noticeable. 文法

這個速度還不足以讓閃爍變得難以察覺。

So,

因此，

movies flickered,

電影會不停閃爍，

which is why they were called flicks, 文化背景

所以它們被稱為「flick」，

which is where we get the word chick flick.

而「chick flick」這個詞就是這樣來的。

All right,

好了，

I'm going to go now. 慣用語

我現在要走了。

And of course,

當然，

by now,

我說的「現在」，

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

是指我會在你意識到我已經離開之前 80 毫秒離開。

I put three links to previous Vsauce videos in the description

我在說明欄放了三部過往 Vsauce 影片的連結，

that are related to this one,

它們都和這部影片有關，

if you haven't seen them yet.

如果你還沒看過，可以去看看。

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

其中一部談的是，為什麼隨著年齡增長，我們會覺得時間過得越來越快。

Another is about the frame rate of the eyeball.

另一部談的是眼球的影格率。

And the other is about the stopped clock illusion.

還有一部談的是停鐘錯覺。

Have fun and as always,

祝你看得開心，一如往常，

thanks for watching.

謝謝收看。