TED演讲:忧郁简史(2)

 　　Like the Greek system, changing the balance of these chemicals can deeply alter how we respond to even extremely difficult circumstances. 像希腊的体液系统理论，改变这些物质的平衡就可以，甚至可以深刻地影响到我们面对极端困难环境时的反应。

　　There's also a long tradition of attempting to discern the value of sadness,  长久以来，我们不断地尝试去无视掉悲伤的价值，

　　and in that discussion, you'll find a strong argument that sadness is not only an inevitable¹ part of life but an essential one. 但在以下的讨论中你会发现，一个强有力的证据说悲伤不仅仅是生命中无法避免的一部分，而且还是不可或缺的一部分。

　　If you've never felt melancholy², you've missed out on part of what it means to be human. 如果你从来没有感受过忧郁，那你已经失去了一部分作为人类的意义。

　　Many thinkers contend that melancholy is necessary in gaining wisdom. 许多学者反映，长智商的必要条件之一是忧郁。

　　Robert Burton, born in 1577, spent his life studying the causes and experience of sadness. 1577年出生的Robert Burton贡献了一生的时间研究悲伤的起因和过程。

　　In his masterpiece "The Anatomy³ of Melancholy," Burton wrote, "He that increaseth wisdom increaseth sorrow." 在他的著作The Anatomy of Melancholy中他写道：“积累智慧的同时也会积累忧伤。”

　　The Romantic poets of the early 19th century believed melancholy 19世纪初期的浪漫主义诗人们相信

　　allows us to more deeply understand other profound emotions, like beauty and joy. 忧郁可以使我们更很深刻地了解其他深沉的感受，比如说美好和快乐。

　　To understand the sadness of the trees losing their leaves in the fall 要了解秋季黄叶满地的忧伤，

　　is to more fully⁴ understand the cycle of life that brings flowers in the spring. 就是更完善地认识可以带来春花的生命周期。

　　But wisdom and emotional intelligence seem pretty high on the hierarchy⁵ of needs. 但智慧和情商看起来像是更高层次的需求。

　　Does sadness have value on a more basic, tangible⁶, maybe even evolutionary⁷ level? 那悲伤在更基础可触，或甚至是进化的层面有没有价值？

　　Scientists think that crying and feeling withdrawn⁸ is what originally helped our ancestors secure social bonds 科学家认为哭泣以及沉默寡言是最初帮助我们祖先之间牢牢建立社会关系，

　　and helped them get the support they needed. 并帮助他们寻求到他们所需要的支持的。

　　Sadness, as opposed to anger or violence,  和愤怒和暴力不同，

　　was an expression of suffering that could immediately bring people closer to the suffering person,  悲伤是可以立马唤起别人同情的痛苦的表现，人与人之间距离一下子就近了，

　　and this helped both the person and the larger community to thrive. 这样双方都会得到帮助，更大的群体也会得以发展壮大。

1 inevitable   

adj.不可避免的，必然发生的

参考例句：

• Mary was wearing her inevitable large hat.玛丽戴着她总是戴的那顶大帽子。
• The defeat had inevitable consequences for British policy.战败对英国政策不可避免地产生了影响。

2 melancholy   

n.忧郁，愁思；adj.令人感伤（沮丧）的，忧郁的

参考例句：

• All at once he fell into a state of profound melancholy.他立即陷入无尽的忧思之中。
• He felt melancholy after he failed the exam.这次考试没通过，他感到很郁闷。

3 anatomy   

n.解剖学，解剖；功能，结构，组织

参考例句：

• He found out a great deal about the anatomy of animals.在动物解剖学方面，他有过许多发现。
• The hurricane's anatomy was powerful and complex.对飓风的剖析是一项庞大而复杂的工作。

4 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。

5 hierarchy   

n.等级制度；统治集团，领导层

参考例句：

• There is a rigid hierarchy of power in that country.那个国家有一套严密的权力等级制度。
• She's high up in the management hierarchy.她在管理阶层中地位很高。

6 tangible   

adj.有形的，可触摸的，确凿的，实际的

参考例句：

• The policy has not yet brought any tangible benefits.这项政策还没有带来任何实质性的好处。
• There is no tangible proof.没有确凿的证据。

7 evolutionary   

adj.进化的；演化的，演变的；[生]进化论的

参考例句：

• Life has its own evolutionary process.生命有其自身的进化过程。
• These are fascinating questions to be resolved by the evolutionary studies of plants.这些十分吸引人的问题将在研究植物进化过程中得以解决。

8 withdrawn   

vt.收回；使退出；vi.撤退，退出

参考例句：

• Our force has been withdrawn from the danger area.我们的军队已从危险地区撤出。
• All foreign troops should be withdrawn to their own countries.一切外国军队都应撤回本国去。