中英双语新闻——198 Why bragging will get you nowhere

 　　Nobody likes a braggart². They dominate conversations and only talk about themselves. They self-promote shamelessly in order to get ahead in their careers.

 

　　没人喜欢大话王。他们喜欢侃侃而谈，而且只爱自说自话。他们不知羞耻地自我吹捧，只为了在职场上抢先一步。

 

　　But according to a recent column in The Wall Street Journal, we might all be braggarts in this competitive society obsessed³ with social networking.

 

　　然而，《华尔街日报》最新的一篇专栏文章中提到，在竞争激烈的社会中，沉迷于社交网络中的我们或许都会成为大话王。

 

　　Don’t believe it? Take a close look at your social-networking sites. Do you like to post photos of yourself in restaurants and nightclubs to show others what an exciting life you have? Or if you are in a relationship, do you like to write about how happily in love you are? Or perhaps you are of the subtle type who constantly complain about their jobs but really just want to impress others with the important position they have.

 

　　不相信？可以好好看看你的那些社交网站。你喜欢上传自己享受美食、混迹夜店的照片，只为大秀自己的快意人生吗？热恋中的你，愿意分享自己沐浴爱河的快乐吗？也许你十分低调，只是像其他人那样不断抱怨工作罢了。但实际上，你这样做只是为了显示自己身居要职，给别人留下深刻印象罢了。

 

　　The Internet provides a global audience for boasting and social media sites encourage it, says Elizabeth Bernstein, a columnist⁴ with the Wall Street Journal. We are all expected to be perfect all the time. The result is that more and more people are carefully managing their online images.

 

　　《华尔街日报》的专栏记者伊丽莎白?伯恩斯坦表示，互联网为我们吹牛提供了全球受众，社交媒体网站则起到推波助澜的作用。我们都希望自己时刻保持完美，结果就是，越来越多的人开始精心打造自己的网络形象。

 

　　But the issue is not limited to the Internet. In a fiercely competitive job market we must sell ourselves on multiple platforms and demonstrate that we excel above all others.

 

　　但是，吹牛这个问题并非局限在互联网上。在竞争激烈的职场中，我们必须在多个平台上推销自己，证明我们比其他人更优秀。

 

　　In fact, we have become so accustomed to boasting that we don’t even realize we are doing it, says Bernstein. This is harmful to our relationships and puts people off.

 

　　伯恩斯坦表示，事实上，我们已经太习惯于自夸了，甚至连自己都没有意识到。这对我们的人际关系可以说是有百害而无一利，令人反感。

 

　　So why do we keep at it?

 

　　那么，为何我们还要继续大话连篇呢？

 

　　Bernstein talked to a few experts who said that people brag¹ for all sorts of reasons: to appear worthy⁵ of attention or love, or to cover up our deepest insecurities; to prove to ourselves we are doing fine and that people who said we would fail are wrong; or simply because we’re excited when good things happen to us.

 

　　伯恩斯坦与一些专家就此进行了讨论，他们认为人们出于各种各样的原因来炫耀：为了彰显自己值得关注或被爱；为了掩盖内心深处的不安全感；为了向自己证明，我们做得不错，那些曾预言我们注定失败的人是错的；或是仅仅因为当好事降临时，我们会兴奋。

 

　　Talking about ourselves just feels great. According to the results of a series of experiments conducted by Harvard University neuroscientists, the reward areas of our brain–the same areas that respond to “primary rewards” such as food and sex–are activated⁶ when we talk about ourselves.

 

　　谈论自己的感觉真是太美妙了。哈佛大学神经系统学家们做了一系列实验，结果显示，我们大脑的“奖励区”──也就是对食物和性等“主要奖励”做出反应的区域──在我们谈论自己的时候会被激活。

 

　　We devote between 30 to 40 percent of our conversation time to doing just that, according to the study, which did not focus on boasting specifically but on sharing things about ourselves.

 

　　该研究表明，我们30%到40%的谈话时间都花在自己身上了。该研究关注的并非自夸炫耀而是与他人分享自我。

 

　　Unfortunately, Bernstein says, some people cannot seem to tell the difference between sharing positive information that others might actually want to know and downright bragging⁷. She suggests that bragging involves comparison, whether stated or implied. So you might want to refrain from discussing college courses with your former primary school classmate who failed to get into college.

 

　　伯恩斯坦指出，遗憾的是，有些人好像分不清分享其他人想知道的正面信息和大肆炫耀的区别。她认为，炫耀涉及到了与他人比较，有的直截了当，有的暗含其中。因此，在同没能升入大学的小学同学交谈时，你或许会可以避免触及有关大学课程方面的话题。

 

　　So, how do you deal with an obnoxious⁸ braggart?

 

　　那么，如何对待一个令人生厌的大话精呢？

 

　　“Feel sorry for them, because they’re doing this impulsive⁹, destructive thing that won’t help them in the long run,” Simine Vazire, a research psychologist and associate professor at Washington University, said according to the column. Research on self-enhancement shows that people who brag make a good first impression, but the effect diminishes over time.

 

　　该文章还提到了华盛顿大学研究心理学家斯明?瓦兹副教授的原话：“我很为他们感到惋惜，因为从长远来看，他们这种冲动有害的做法不会有好处。”对自我提升的研究表明，大话王给人的第一印象不错，但随着时间推移，这种好印象会渐渐消退。

1 brag   

v./n.吹牛，自夸；adj.第一流的

参考例句：

• He made brag of his skill.他夸耀自己技术高明。
• His wealth is his brag.他夸张他的财富。

2 braggart   

n.吹牛者；adj.吹牛的，自夸的

参考例句：

• However,Captain Prien was not a braggart.不过，普里恩舰长却不是一个夸大其词的人。
• Sir,I don't seek a quarrel,not being a braggart.先生，我并不想寻衅挑斗，也不是爱吹牛的人。

3 obsessed   

adj.心神不宁的,鬼迷心窍的,沉迷的

参考例句：

• He's obsessed by computers. 他迷上了电脑。
• The fear of death obsessed him throughout his old life. 他晚年一直受着死亡恐惧的困扰。

4 columnist   

n.专栏作家

参考例句：

• The host was interviewing a local columnist.节目主持人正在同一位当地的专栏作家交谈。
• She's a columnist for USA Today.她是《今日美国报》的专栏作家。

5 worthy   

adj.(of)值得的，配得上的；有价值的

参考例句：

• I did not esteem him to be worthy of trust.我认为他不值得信赖。
• There occurred nothing that was worthy to be mentioned.没有值得一提的事发生。

6 activated   

adj. 激活的 动词activate的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• The canister is filled with activated charcoal.蒸气回收罐中充满了活性炭。

7 bragging   

v.自夸，吹嘘( brag的现在分词 )；大话

参考例句：

• He's always bragging about his prowess as a cricketer. 他总是吹嘘自己板球水平高超。 来自辞典例句
• Now you're bragging, darling. You know you don't need to brag. 这就是夸口，亲爱的。你明知道你不必吹。 来自辞典例句

8 obnoxious   

adj.极恼人的，讨人厌的，可憎的

参考例句：

• These fires produce really obnoxious fumes and smoke.这些火炉冒出来的烟气确实很难闻。
• He is the most obnoxious man I know.他是我认识的最可憎的人。

9 impulsive   

adj.冲动的，刺激的；有推动力的

参考例句：

• She is impulsive in her actions.她的行为常出于冲动。
• He was neither an impulsive nor an emotional man,but a very honest and sincere one.他不是个一冲动就鲁莽行事的人，也不多愁善感.他为人十分正直、诚恳。