安慰劑效應有個邪惡的雙胞胎兄弟：英語精讀講義

Please, put on your headphones.

請戴上你的耳機。

I promise there won't be any loud sounds,

我保證不會有任何巨大的聲響，

but this video is going to hurt. 表達脈絡

但這部影片會讓你感到痛苦。

There's a study about hypersounds and how they cause headaches.

有一項關於超聲波以及它們如何引發頭痛的研究。

These sounds are too high-pitched to hear,

這些聲音音調太高，人耳無法聽見，

like the one added to this video playing right now,

就像現在這部影片裡正在播放的聲音一樣，

but cause headaches they still do. 文法

但它們依然會引發頭痛。

The hypersound in your headphones is pressing on your inner ear,

你耳機裡的超聲波正在壓迫你的內耳，

stressing the nerves leading to your brain where,

刺激通往你大腦的神經，

if the headache hasn't started already,

如果你的頭痛還沒有發作，

it soon will as the exposure causes headaches after only 10 seconds.

它很快就會發作，因為僅僅暴露10秒鐘後就會引發頭痛。

Oh my.

哎呀。

Can you feel it?

你感覺到了嗎？

That pressure in your ears spreading to your now throbbing brain?

耳朵裡的壓力正蔓延到你那開始跳痛的大腦？

Because you shouldn't. 表達脈絡

因為你不該有這種感覺。

This study is made up and there's no hypersound in the audio, 片語動詞

這項研究是虛構的，音檔裡也沒有什麼超聲波，

but some of you will still have begun to feel a headache. 文法

但你們之中的一些人可能已經開始感到頭痛了。

Why?

為什麼？

The nocebo effect. 用詞

反安慰劑效應。

A nocebo is a harmless thing,

反安慰劑本身是無害的，

like a video with non-existent hypersounds,

就像一部根本沒有超聲波的影片，

that causes harm,

卻造成了傷害，

like a headache,

比如頭痛，

because you believe it's harmful.

因為你相信它有害。

That sounds like voodoo,

這聽起來像是巫術，

but there's a real science behind the nocebo effect,

但反安慰劑效應背後有真正的科學依據，

which is more than an irritating parlor trick. 慣用語

它不僅僅是個煩人的小把戲。

It causes real problems,

它會引發真正的問題，

like in medicine.

比如在醫學領域。

When testing a new drug,

在測試一款新藥時，

doctors get a group of sick people,

醫生會找來一群病人，

give half of them the new drug,

給其中一半人服用新藥，

and give the other half a fake pill that does nothing,

給另一半人服用一顆毫無作用的假藥，

but which they're told is real.

但告訴他們那是真藥。

This is how science finds the stuff that works

科學就是這樣從無效的垃圾中

amongst the junk that doesn't.

找出真正有效的東西。

But new drugs have side effects,

但是新藥都有副作用，

and sometimes patients drop out of the experiment because of them. 片語動詞

有時患者會因為副作用而退出實驗。

No surprise there.

這並不奇怪。

But some people on the fake also drop out from the side effects.

但一些服用假藥的人也會因為副作用而退出。

Side effects they've gotten from a drug they aren't taking,

他們吃著根本沒吃的藥卻產生了副作用，

but because they think they're on the real thing, 慣用語

因為他們以為自己吃的是真藥，

they've also thought themselves into the side effects. 文法

他們硬生生把自己想像出了副作用。

Now, maybe this is just a case of misattribution.

現在，也許這只是一個歸因錯誤的情況。

People get headaches,

人們會頭痛，

and if they've joined a drug trial that lists headaches in the side effects,

如果他們參加了一個將頭痛列為副作用的藥物試驗，

it's natural to blame the new drug,

自然會怪罪於新藥，

and that certainly happens to some extent. 片語搭配

這種情況確實在一定程度上會發生。

But the nocebo effect is more than just misattribution.

但是反安慰劑效應不僅僅是歸因錯誤。

It causes real additional harm

它會造成真正額外的傷害，

that scientists can measure in cruel,

科學家們可以透過殘忍的、

cruel experiments.

極度殘忍的實驗來衡量。

And this is one of the reasons there's not an overabundance of research on nocebos.

這也是為什麼關於反安慰劑的研究並不是多如牛毛的原因之一。

Approach your friendly neighborhood ethics board with an experiment designed to hurt people,

如果你帶著一個旨在傷害人類的實驗方案去找你們友好的社區倫理委員會，

and they'll frown on that. 片語動詞

他們肯定會皺眉頭的。

But sometimes nocebo experiments do get approved

但有時反安慰劑實驗確實會被批准，

to the benefit of science and humanity, 表達脈絡

從而造福於科學和人類，

if not the participants.

哪怕參與者並未受益。

For example,

例如，

under the right conditions,

在特定條件下，

some people who expect a harmless injection will give them a rash

一些預期無害注射會引起皮疹的人，

will get a rash.

真的會起皮疹。

But for people who expect nothing to happen,

但對於那些不期望有任何反應的人來說，

nothing is exactly what happens.

就真的什麼也沒發生。

And fake pills can be addictive.

並且假藥也可能讓人上癮。

Take test subjects off pills they believe are addictive,

讓測試對象停用他們認為會成癮的藥片，

and some will experience nocebic withdrawal symptoms like pain and fatigue

一些人就會體驗到反安慰劑的戒斷症狀，如疼痛和疲勞，

from pills they could never have been addicted to in the first place. 片語搭配

儘管這些藥片本來就根本不可能讓人上癮。

Another experiment gave people harmless injections,

另一項實驗給人們進行無害注射，

told half of them to sit there,

讓其中一半人乾坐在那兒，

and told the other half their pain would increase for the next 30 minutes,

並告訴另一半人在接下來的30分鐘內疼痛感會增加，

which it did. 文法

結果確實如此。

But in this situation,

但在這種情況下，

there's a drug that can block the nocebo effect,

有一種藥物可以阻斷反安慰劑效應，

and those who were told the injection would hurt,

那些被告知注射會很疼，

but were also secretly given a nocebo-blocking drug,

但被暗中注射了反安慰劑阻斷藥物的人，

did not report an increase in pain,

並沒有報告疼痛感增加，

showing that the nocebo effect is a real physical process.

這表明反安慰劑效應是一個真實的生理過程。

In all these nocebo experiments,

在所有這些反安慰劑實驗中，

it's the belief in harm that matters. 文法

對傷害的信念才是關鍵。

If someone dressed as a voodoo witch doctor popped up and hexed you with a curse of great pain,

如果有人打扮成巫毒教巫醫跳出來對你施加劇痛詛咒，

no effect.

毫無效果。

But in a room with a real doctor and his clipboard

但是在一個有著真正的醫生拿著病歷板的房間裡，

and a big science machine and a needle in your arm,

旁邊有大型科學儀器，還有針頭扎進你的手臂，

you'll take his words rather more seriously, 片語搭配

你就會相當認真地對待他的話，

which is why doctors say this won't hurt a bit 講解

這就是為什麼醫生會說「這一點也不疼」，

rather than oh, this?

而不是說「喔，這個嗎？」

It's going to hurt,

「會很疼的，」

like a lot.

「超級疼。」

Which, by the way,

順帶一提，

was a real experiment done on women undergoing labor during spinal injections.

這是一項在分娩期間接受脊柱注射的女性身上進行的真實實驗。

Guess how that turned out. 語氣意圖

猜猜結果如何。

But nocebos don't end here.

但反安慰劑的故事還沒結束。

While illnesses like the flu spread from contact with disgusting germ-infected humans

像流感這樣的疾病是透過接觸感染了噁心細菌的人

and the things they touch with their disgusting germy hands,

以及他們那沾滿噁心細菌的手觸摸過的東西來傳播的，

a nocebo spreads from mind to mind, 慣用語

而反安慰劑則是透過意識在人際間傳播的，

no contact required.

不需要接觸。

A notable example happened in a Tennessee high school.

在田納西州的一所高中就發生過一個著名的例子。

One teacher reported a strange smell in her classroom

一名老師報告說她的教室裡有一股奇怪的氣味，

and developed symptoms of headache,

隨後出現了頭痛、

nausea,

噁心、

and difficulty breathing.

和呼吸困難的症狀。

These symptoms spread to some of her students,

這些症狀蔓延到了她的一些學生身上，

and from them to others in the school.

然後又從他們傳給了學校裡的其他人。

Almost 200 people ended up at the local hospital, 片語動詞

最終有將近200人進了當地醫院，

but all medical tests came back with nothing, 片語動詞

但所有的醫學檢測結果都顯示毫無異常，

nor was anything harmful found at the school. 文法

學校裡也沒有發現任何有害物質。

This was a nocebo.

這就是反安慰劑現象。

The belief that the air was making them sick spread from mind to mind.

空氣讓人致病的信念在人群中透過心理蔓延。

Everyone who got sick heard about the symptoms from someone else.

每一個生病的人都是從別人那裡聽說了這些症狀。

When this happens,

當這種情況發生時，

it's called mass psychogenic illness. 用詞

就被稱為集體心因性疾病。

The treatment in these cases is to separate those with symptoms from the rest

治療這種情況的方法是將有症狀的人與其他人分開，

and reassure the ill that,

並向生病的人保證，

yes, their symptoms are real, 語氣意圖

是的，他們的症狀是真實的，

but no, they haven't been exposed to anything toxic,

但是不，他們沒有接觸過任何有毒物質，

and yes, people are getting better quickly.

並且是的，人們都在快速康復。

This last is one of the indicators

這最後一點是區分

that separates a real poison gas leak or biological weapon

真正的毒氣洩漏或生物武器

from mass psychogenic illness.

與集體心因性疾病的指標之一。

But the final factor,

但最後一個因素，

number of cases increasing with greater media coverage,

即隨著媒體報導的增加，病例數也會增加，

can lead to this kind of thing spreading far and wide. 慣用語

會導致這類事件被廣泛傳播。

Take electrosensitives,

以電磁波過敏症患者為例，

people who get nausea,

這些人會感到噁心，

among other things,

以及其他症狀，

from exposure to parts of the electromagnetic spectrum,

原因是暴露於部分電磁波譜中，

notably Wi-Fi,

特別是Wi-Fi，

the density of which is increasing over time, 文法

隨著時間推移，Wi-Fi的密度越來越大，

forcing particularly bad sufferers to retreat to places

迫使病情特別嚴重的患者退隱到一些地方，

like the creepy-sounding radio silence zone in,

比如聽起來很詭異的無線電靜默區，

where else,

還能是哪，

West Virginia.

當然是西維吉尼亞州。

But put electrosensitives in a room with a Wi-Fi router,

但如果你把電磁波過敏症患者和Wi-Fi分享器放在一個房間裡，

and they can't actually tell via their symptoms if it's on or off.

他們其實無法透過自己的症狀分辨分享器是開還是關。

Instead,

相反，

their symptoms track with being told if it's on or off. 用詞

他們的症狀與被告知分享器是開還是關相一致。

And if you make a group of people without electrosensitivity

並且，如果你讓一群沒有電磁波過敏症的人

watch a news report on how Wi-Fi makes you ill,

觀看一篇關於Wi-Fi如何讓你生病的新聞報導，

while another group watches something uninformative,

同時讓另一組人觀看毫無營養的內容，

and afterward expose both groups to a fake Wi-Fi signal,

之後讓兩組人都暴露在假Wi-Fi訊號下，

only those who watched the news report feel sick.

只有看了新聞報導的那些人會感到不適。

There's a similar phenomenon called wind farm disease,

還有一種類似現象被稱為風力發電場症候群，

with similar side effects,

有著類似的副作用，

which turns up where it's been talked about on the local news, 片語動詞

當地方新聞報導過它的地方就會出現這種病，

but not in other places in the same country

但在同一個國家裡有同樣風力發電場的其他地方

with the same wind farms where it isn't. 文法

只要沒被報導，就不會出現這種病。

All this makes it too easy to mock people 文法

這一切都讓人太容易嘲笑那些

for thinking they're getting sick from Wi-Fi or wind farms

認為自己因為Wi-Fi或風力發電場

or wind farms with Wi-Fi,

或者帶有Wi-Fi的風力發電場而生病的人，

but it's important to realize they're not crazy.

但重要的是要意識到他們並沒有瘋。

The side effects are real,

那些副作用是真實的，

they're just wrong about the source.

他們只是搞錯了病源。

All evidence points to the belief in electrosensitivity 片語搭配

所有證據都表明，對電磁波過敏症的深信不疑

as the cause of electrosensitivity,

才是導致電磁波過敏症的原因，

which means the news reports talking about these illnesses

這意味著談論這些疾病的新聞報導

are spreading a kind of mind virus. 慣用語

正在傳播一種心理病毒。

And while these are exotic examples, 文法

雖然這些是比較極端的例子，

there's also evidence that some allergies and asthma cases are nocebic,

但也有證據表明，某些過敏和氣喘病例也屬於反安慰劑現象，

and thus able to be spread in the same way.

因此也能以同樣的方式傳播。

To be clear, 表達脈絡

澄清一下，

if someone's having an asthma attack,

如果某人氣喘發作，

that's not the time to tell 語氣意圖

那絕對不是告訴

them you know they're being a drama llama 用詞

他們你知道他們在「加戲」的好時機，

because you watched an internet video about the nocebo effect.

僅僅因為你在網路上看了個關於反安慰劑效應的影片。

They're really having an asthma attack,

他們是真的在氣喘發作，

and they really need something to make it stop,

他們真的需要一些東西來緩解症狀，

and that's really not you showing off your knowledge. 片語動詞

而這真的不是你賣弄知識的時候。

Harmful things aren't just harmful because we believe they are.

有害的東西之所以有害，並不只是因為我們相信它們有害。

The right dose of arsenic will kill you just as surely as an anvil to the head, 文法

適量的砒霜絕對能致命，就像鐵砧砸中腦袋一樣確鑿無疑，

no matter your insistence otherwise. 文法

無論你如何固執地否認。

But the nocebo effect does show that our beliefs about otherwise harmless things can make them harmful, 講解

但反安慰劑效應確實表明，我們對原本無害之物的觀念可以讓它們變得有害，

which means that our voodoo doctor's hex from before really could work,

這意味著我們前面提到的巫毒教巫醫的詛咒真的可能起效，

but only if you were foolish enough to believe him. 文法

但前提是你得蠢到去相信他。