When I was first learning to meditate, the instruction was to simply pay attention to my breath, and when my mind wandered, to bring it back.

當我第一次學習冥想時，指示很簡單，就是專注於我的呼吸，當我的思緒飄走時，把它帶回來。

Yet I'd sit on these silent retreats, sweating through T-shirts in the middle of winter.

然而我會坐在這些靜修中，在冬天中流汗濕透T恤。

I'd take naps every chance I got because it was really hard work.

我會抓住每個機會小睡，因為這真的是很辛苦的工作。

Actually, it was exhausting.

實際上，這很累人。

The instruction was simple enough but I was missing something really important.

指示很簡單，但我錯過了某些非常重要的東西。

So why is it so hard to pay attention?

那麼為什麼專注這麼困難？

Well, studies show that even when we're really trying to pay attention to something -- like maybe this talk -- at some point, about half of us will drift off into a daydream,

研究顯示，即使我們真的試圖專注於某件事——比如這場演講——在某個時刻，我們中約有一半的人會走神進入白日夢，

or have this urge to check our Twitter feed.

或者有這種衝動去查看我們的 Twitter 動態。

So what's going on here?

那麼這裡發生了什麼？

It turns out that we're fighting one of the most evolutionarily-conserved learning processes currently known in science, one that's conserved back to the most basic nervous systems known to man.

結果發現，我們正在對抗科學中已知的最進化保守的學習過程之一，這個過程可以追溯到人類已知的最基本的神經系統。

This reward-based learning process is called positive and negative reinforcement, and basically goes like this.

這個基於獎勵的學習過程被稱為正強化與負強化，基本上就是這樣運作的。

We see some food that looks good, our brain says, "Calories! ... Survival!" We eat the food, we taste it -- it tastes good.

我們看到一些看起來不錯的食物，我們的大腦說：「卡路里！...生存！」我們吃食物，我們品嚐它——它味道很好。

And especially with sugar, our bodies send a signal to our brain that says, "Remember what you're eating and where you found it." We lay down this context-dependent memory

特別是糖，我們的身體向大腦發送信號說：「記住你吃的是什麼以及你在哪裡找到的。」我們建立了這種情境依賴的記憶

and learn to repeat the process next time.

並學會下次重複這個過程。

See food, eat food, feel good, repeat.

看到食物，吃食物，感覺良好，重複。

Well, after a while, our creative brains say, "You know what?

過了一會兒，我們富有創造力的大腦說：「你知道嗎？

You can use this for more than just remembering where food is.

你可以用這個來做的不僅僅是記住食物在哪裡。

You know, next time you feel bad, why don't you try eating something good so you'll feel better?" We thank our brains for the great idea,

你知道，下次你感覺不好時，為什麼不試試吃點好東西，這樣你會感覺更好？」我們感謝大腦的好主意，

try this and quickly learn that if we eat chocolate or ice cream when we're mad or sad, we feel better.

試試這個，很快學會如果我們在生氣或難過時吃巧克力或冰淇淋，我們會感覺更好。

Same process, just a different trigger.

同樣的過程，只是不同的觸發因素。

Instead of this hunger signal coming from our stomach, this emotional signal -- feeling sad -- triggers that urge to eat.

不是來自我們胃部的飢餓信號，而是這種情緒信號——感到難過——觸發了吃東西的衝動。

Maybe in our teenage years, we were a nerd at school, and we see those rebel kids outside smoking and we think, "Hey, I want to be cool."

也許在我們的青少年時期，我們在學校是個書呆子，我們看到那些叛逆的孩子在外面抽煙，我們想：「嘿，我想變酷。」

So we start smoking.

所以我們開始抽煙。

The Marlboro Man wasn't a dork, and that was no accident.

萬寶路男人不是書呆子，這不是偶然的。

See cool, smoke to be cool, feel good. Repeat.

看到酷，抽煙變酷，感覺良好。重複。

And each time we do this, we learn to repeat the process and it becomes a habit.

每次我們這樣做，我們學會重複這個過程，它變成了一個習慣。

So later, feeling stressed out triggers that urge to smoke a cigarette or to eat something sweet.

所以後來，感到壓力會觸發抽煙或吃甜食的衝動。

Now, with these same brain processes, we've gone from learning to survive to literally killing ourselves with these habits.

現在，通過這些相同的大腦過程，我們從學習生存變成了用這些習慣字面意思地殺死自己。

Obesity and smoking are among the leading preventable causes of morbidity and mortality in the world.

肥胖和吸煙是世界上可預防的發病率和死亡率的主要原因之一。

So back to my breath.

所以回到我的呼吸。

What if instead of fighting our brains, or trying to force ourselves to pay attention, we instead tapped into this natural, reward-based learning process ...

如果我們不是對抗我們的大腦，或試圖強迫自己專注，而是利用這個自然的、基於獎勵的學習過程...

but added a twist?

但加了一個轉折？

What if instead we just got really curious about what was happening in our momentary experience?

如果我們只是對我們瞬間體驗中發生的事情感到非常好奇呢？

I'll give you an example.

我給你一個例子。

In my lab, we studied whether mindfulness training could help people quit smoking.

在我的實驗室，我們研究正念訓練是否能幫助人們戒煙。

Now, just like trying to force myself to pay attention to my breath, they could try to force themselves to quit smoking.

現在，就像試圖強迫自己專注於我的呼吸一樣，他們可以試圖強迫自己戒煙。

And the majority of them had tried this before and failed -- on average, six times.

他們中的大多數人以前都試過這個，但失敗了——平均六次。

Now, with mindfulness training, we dropped the bit about forcing and instead focused on being curious.

現在，通過正念訓練，我們放棄了強迫的部分，而是專注於保持好奇心。

In fact, we even told them to smoke.

事實上，我們甚至告訴他們去抽煙。

What? Yeah, we said, "Go ahead and smoke, just be really curious about what it's like when you do." And what did they notice?

什麼？是的，我們說：「去吧，抽煙，只是要對你抽煙時的感覺非常好奇。」他們注意到了什麼？

Well here's an example from one of our smokers.

這是我們其中一位吸煙者的例子。

She said, "Mindful smoking: smells like stinky cheese and tastes like chemicals, YUCK!" Now, she knew, cognitively that smoking was bad for her, that's why she joined our program.

她說：「正念抽煙：聞起來像臭奶酪，嘗起來像化學物質，噁心！」現在，她在認知上知道抽煙對她不好，這就是她加入我們計劃的原因。

What she discovered just by being curiously aware when she smoked was that smoking tastes like shit.

她只是通過在抽煙時保持好奇的覺察發現，抽煙的味道像屎一樣。

Now, she moved from knowledge to wisdom.

現在，她從知識轉向了智慧。

She moved from knowing in her head that smoking was bad for her to knowing it in her bones, and the spell of smoking was broken.

她從在頭腦中知道抽煙對她不好，轉變為在骨子裡知道，抽煙的魔咒被打破了。

She started to become disenchanted with her behavior.

她開始對自己的行為感到失望。

Now, the prefrontal cortex, that youngest part of our brain from an evolutionary perspective, it understands on an intellectual level that we shouldn't smoke.

現在，前額葉皮質，從進化角度來看是我們大腦最年輕的部分，它在智力層面上理解我們不應該抽煙。

And it tries its hardest to help us change our behavior, to help us stop smoking, to help us stop eating that second, that third, that fourth cookie.

它盡最大努力幫助我們改變行為，幫助我們停止抽煙，幫助我們停止吃第二塊、第三塊、第四塊餅乾。

We call this cognitive control.

我們稱之為認知控制。

We're using cognition to control our behavior.

我們使用認知來控制我們的行為。

Unfortunately, this is also the first part of our brain that goes offline when we get stressed out, which isn't that helpful.

不幸的是，這也是當我們感到壓力時，我們大腦中第一個離線的部分，這不太有幫助。

Now, we can all relate to this in our own experience.

現在，我們都能在自己的經歷中體會到這一點。

We're much more likely to do things like yell at our spouse or kids when we're stressed out or tired, even though we know it's not going to be helpful.

當我們感到壓力或疲憊時，我們更有可能對配偶或孩子大喊大叫，即使我們知道這不會有幫助。

We just can't help ourselves.

我們就是忍不住。

When the prefrontal cortex goes offline, we fall back into our old habits, which is why this disenchantment is so important.

當前額葉皮質離線時，我們會回到舊習慣，這就是為什麼這種失望如此重要。

Seeing what we get from our habits helps us understand them at a deeper level -- to know it in our bones so we don't have to force ourselves to hold back

看到我們從習慣中得到的東西，幫助我們在更深層次上理解它們——在骨子裡知道，所以我們不必強迫自己克制

or restrain ourselves from behavior.

或約束我們的行為。

We're just less interested in doing it in the first place.

我們只是對做這件事不太感興趣。

And this is what mindfulness is all about: Seeing really clearly what we get when we get caught up in our behaviors, becoming disenchanted on a visceral level

這就是正念的全部意義：真正清楚地看到當我們陷入行為時得到了什麼，在內臟層面上變得失望

and from this disenchanted stance, naturally letting go.

從這種失望的立場，自然地放手。

This isn't to say that, poof, magically we quit smoking.

這不是說，噗，神奇地我們戒煙了。

But over time, as we learn to see more and more clearly the results of our actions, we let go of old habits and form new ones.

但隨著時間的推移，當我們學會越來越清楚地看到我們行為的結果時，我們會放下舊習慣，形成新習慣。

The paradox here is that mindfulness is just about being really interested in getting close and personal with what's actually happening in our bodies and minds

這裡的悖論是，正念只是對與我們身體和心靈中實際發生的事情變得親近和個人化真正感興趣

from moment to moment.

從一個時刻到下一個時刻。

This willingness to turn toward our experience rather than trying to make unpleasant cravings go away as quickly as possible.

這種轉向我們體驗的意願，而不是試圖盡快讓不愉快的渴望消失。

And this willingness to turn toward our experience is supported by curiosity, which is naturally rewarding.

這種轉向我們體驗的意願是由好奇心支持的，這本身就是有回報的。

What does curiosity feel like?

好奇心是什麼感覺？

And what happens when we get curious?

當我們變得好奇時會發生什麼？

We start to notice that cravings are simply made up of body sensations -- oh, there's tightness, there's tension, there's restlessness -- and that these body sensations come and go.

我們開始注意到渴望只是由身體感覺組成的——哦，有緊繃，有緊張，有不安——這些身體感覺來了又去。

These are bite-size pieces of experiences that we can manage from moment to moment rather than getting clobbered by this huge, scary craving that we choke on.

這些是可以從一個時刻到下一個時刻管理的小塊體驗，而不是被這個巨大的、可怕的、讓我們窒息的渴望所擊倒。

In other words, when we get curious, we step out of our old, fear-based, reactive habit patterns, and we step into being.

換句話說，當我們變得好奇時，我們走出了舊的、基於恐懼的、反應性的習慣模式，我們進入了存在。

We become this inner scientist where we're eagerly awaiting that next data point.

我們成為這個內在的科學家，我們急切地等待下一個數據點。

Now, this might sound too simplistic to affect behavior.

現在，這可能聽起來太簡單，無法影響行為。

But in one study, we found that mindfulness training was twice as good as gold standard therapy at helping people quit smoking.

但在一項研究中，我們發現正念訓練在幫助人們戒煙方面是黃金標準療法的兩倍好。

So it actually works.

所以它實際上有效。

And when we studied the brains of experienced meditators, we found that parts of a neural network of self-referential processing called the default mode network were at play.

當我們研究經驗豐富的冥想者的大腦時，我們發現一個稱為默認模式網絡的自我參照處理神經網絡的部分在起作用。

and it takes us for a ride.

它帶我們兜風。

In contrast, when we let go -- step out of the process just by being curiously aware of what's happening -- this same brain region quiets down.

相比之下，當我們放手——只是通過好奇地覺察正在發生的事情而走出這個過程——這個相同的大腦區域會安靜下來。

Now we're testing app and online-based mindfulness training programs that target these core mechanisms and, ironically, use the same technology that's driving us to distraction to help us step out of our unhealthy habit patterns

現在我們正在測試針對這些核心機制的應用程序和基於線上的正念訓練計劃，諷刺的是，使用同樣的技術，這種技術正在驅使我們分心，幫助我們走出不健康的習慣模式

of smoking, of stress eating and other addictive behaviors.

抽煙、壓力進食和其他成癮行為。

Now, remember that bit about context-dependent memory?

現在，記住關於情境依賴記憶的那部分嗎？

We can deliver these tools to peoples' fingertips in the contexts that matter most.

我們可以在最重要的情境中將這些工具送到人們的指尖。

So we can help them tap into their inherent capacity to be curiously aware right when that urge to smoke or stress eat or whatever arises.

所以我們可以幫助他們在想要抽煙或壓力進食或任何衝動出現時，利用他們固有的好奇覺察能力。

So if you don't smoke or stress eat, maybe the next time you feel this urge to check your email when you're bored, or you're trying to distract yourself from work,

所以如果你不抽煙或壓力進食，也許下次當你感到無聊時想要查看電子郵件，或者你試圖從工作中分散注意力時，

It will just be another chance to perpetuate one of our endless and exhaustive habit loops ...

這只是另一個機會來延續我們無盡和耗盡的習慣循環之一...

or step out of it.

或走出它。

Instead of see text message, compulsively text back, feel a little bit better -- notice the urge, get curious, feel the joy of letting go and repeat.

而不是看到簡訊，強迫性地回覆，感覺好一點——注意到衝動，變得好奇，感受放手的快樂，然後重複。