TED演讲:选择的困惑(7)

 You really want to get the decision right if it's for all eternity¹, right? 当你进入极乐世界时，你一定希望你做出的决定是正确的，是吗？

You don't want to pick the wrong mutual² fund, or the wrong salad dressing³. So that's one effect. 在那里你一定不想再选错互助基金，或者是沙拉调料。刚才那是第一个（负面）影响。

The second effect is that even if we manage to overcome the paralysis⁴ and make a choice, 再来说说第二个。即使我们通过努力克服了僵化和麻痹而终于做出了一个正确的决定，

we end up less satisfied with the result of the choice than we would be if we had fewer options to choose from. 我们对自己的做出的决定，反而不如可选性少时做出的决定更加满意。

And there are several reasons for this. 这里有几个原因。

One of them is that with a lot of different salad dressings⁵ to choose from, if you buy one, and it's not perfect 其中之一是，面对如此多的沙拉调料品种，如果你买了一种，觉得不尽如人意，

and what salad dressing is? It's easy to imagine you could have made a different choice that would have been better. 你很容易去想象如果你挑另外一种就好了。

And what happens is this imagined alternative induces you to regret the decision you made, 结果怎么样？这种想象中的另外选择引得你对你已经做出的决定感到后悔，

and this regret subtracts from the satisfaction you get out of the decision you made, even if it was a good decision. 这种后悔心情让你对你原先做出的选择的满意度打了折扣，即便那其实是个很不错的选择。

The more options there are, the easier it is to regret anything at all that is disappointing about the option that you chose. 选择越多，就越容易莫名其妙地对一些事感到后悔。这就是其一，总是不满意自己做出的选择决定。

Second, what economists⁶ call "opportunity costs." 其二，是经济学家称之为“机会成本”的东西。

Dan Gilbert made a big point this morning of talking about how much the way in which we value things depends on what we compare them to. 今天早些时候丹·吉尔伯特讲了个大道理，就是，我们看一个东西的价值，取决于那些我们用来作比较的那些其他的东西。

Well, when there are lots of alternatives to consider, 嗯，当人们有很多选择可以考虑时，

it is easy to imagine the attractive features of alternatives that you reject 就很容易去想象那些你放弃了的选择的吸引人的方面，

that make you less satisfied with the alternative that you've chosen. Here's an example. 这就使得你总是对你选中了的那个觉得美中不足。举个例子吧。

1 eternity   

n.不朽，来世；永恒，无穷

参考例句：

• The dull play seemed to last an eternity.这场乏味的剧似乎演个没完没了。
• Finally,Ying Tai and Shan Bo could be together for all of eternity.英台和山伯终能双宿双飞，永世相随。

2 mutual   

adj.相互的，彼此的；共同的，共有的

参考例句：

• We must pull together for mutual interest.我们必须为相互的利益而通力合作。
• Mutual interests tied us together.相互的利害关系把我们联系在一起。

3 dressing   

n.(食物)调料；包扎伤口的用品，敷料

参考例句：

• Don't spend such a lot of time in dressing yourself.别花那么多时间来打扮自己。
• The children enjoy dressing up in mother's old clothes.孩子们喜欢穿上妈妈旧时的衣服玩。

4 paralysis   

n.麻痹(症)；瘫痪(症)

参考例句：

• The paralysis affects his right leg and he can only walk with difficulty.他右腿瘫痪步履维艰。
• The paralysis affects his right leg and he can only walk with difficulty.他右腿瘫痪步履维艰。

5 dressings   

n.敷料剂；穿衣( dressing的名词复数 )；穿戴；（拌制色拉的）调料；（保护伤口的）敷料

参考例句：

• He always made sure that any cuts were protected by sterile dressings. 他总是坚持要用无菌纱布包扎伤口。 来自辞典例句
• I waked the orderly and he poured mineral water on the dressings. 我喊醒勤务，他在我的绷带上倒了些矿质水。 来自辞典例句

6 economists   

n.经济学家，经济专家( economist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The sudden rise in share prices has confounded economists. 股价的突然上涨使经济学家大惑不解。
• Foreign bankers and economists cautiously welcomed the minister's initiative. 外国银行家和经济学家对部长的倡议反应谨慎。 来自《简明英汉词典》