美国国家公共电台 NPR Brian Little: Are Human Personalities Hardwired?

 

GUY RAZ, HOST:

So how would you describe your personality?

BRIAN LITTLE: Oh, goodness me, my personality is, I guess, fairly complex.

RAZ: This is Brian Little.

LITTLE: I'm a research professor in psychology² at the University of Cambridge.

RAZ: And Brian does a lot of research on why we have the personalities³ we do, how much is hardwired and how much can be changed.

LITTLE: There are neurophysiological differences. There's the genetic⁴ component⁵. But it also has what I call a sociogenic origin, in that cultures will provide the codes for how to act extrovertedly or agreeably or neurotically¹⁰. And then we shape our behavior to be consistent with those expectations.

RAZ: Brian laid out how he classifies different personalities on the TED⁸ stage.

(SOUNDBITE OF TED TALK)

LITTLE: One of the most influential¹¹ approaches in personality science is known as trait psychology. And it aligns¹² you along five dimensions, which are normally distributed that describe universally held aspects of difference between people. They spell out the acronym¹³ OCEAN. So O stands for open to experience, versus¹⁴ those who are more closed. C stands for conscientiousness¹⁶, in contrast to those with a more lackadaisical¹⁷ approach to life. E, extraversion, in contrast to more introverted people. A, agreeable individuals, in contrast of those decidedly not agreeable. And N, neurotic⁹ individuals, in contrast to those who are more stable.

All of these dimensions have implications for our well-being¹⁹ for how our life goes. Let me deal in a bit more detail with extraversion because it's consequential²⁰, and it's intriguing²¹. Extroverts²² - when they interact - want to have lots of social encounter punctuated²³ by closeness. They like to stand close for comfortable communication. They like to have a lot of eye contact or mutual²⁴ gaze. We found in some research that they use more diminutive²⁵ terms when they meet somebody. So when an extrovert⁶ meets Charles, it rapidly becomes Charlie and then Chuck and then Chuckles²⁶, Baby.

Whereas for introverts²⁷ - remains²⁸ Charles until he is given a pass to be more intimate by the person he's talking to. We speak differently. Extroverts prefer black and white, concrete, simple language. Introverts prefer - and I must tell you that I am as extreme an introvert¹⁸ as you could possibly imagine. We speak differently. We prefer contextually complex, contingent²⁹, weasel-word sentences, more or less...

(LAUGHTER)

LITTLE: ...As it were, not to put too fine a point on it - like that.

(LAUGHTER)

RAZ: How much of these characteristics are wired into us? Are we just born with some of these?

LITTLE: Yeah. That is being very keenly debated right now. My own take on it is that the literature is pretty convincing, that there is a genetic component to personality traits. I was asked once - are people set like plaster? - as had been argued early on about people - by the age of 30, their traits are set like plaster. And I sort of jokingly say with a British accent, no, but I think they're half-plastered. And that may be seen as somewhat flippant. But I think there's a kernel³⁰ of truth to it, that there is a degree of fixedness³² to traits. They're manifested, if you wish, in temperament³³ and early age and so on.

RAZ: I mean, this all makes intuitive sense, right? Like, I look at my kids, and I see in them personality traits that come from me and sometimes traits that I don't necessarily like about myself.

LITTLE: (Laughter).

RAZ: And you see it. We see it in our kids. Yeah.

LITTLE: It's a little daunting³⁴ - isn't it? - when you see it in the kids.

RAZ: I mean, that's the thing, right? Like, it's a little scary because if there are things that you don't like about yourself...

LITTLE: Yeah.

RAZ: ...You - some of those are just - are they immutable³⁵?

LITTLE: No. No. That I would say. I do not think that they are immutable. We're wonderfully complex creatures. And I think that part of the delight of our complexity³⁶ is that we're not as predictable as we might be.

RAZ: Yeah.

LITTLE: And we act out of character. And so those aspects of the expression of traits seem to me to be really important. And it takes us away from the notion that once you've got your personality fixed³¹, that's it. You can't change. I think you can. And, indeed, over the lifespan, the research evidence is pretty clear that people will change as a group as they get older. They will become less neurotic. They'll be more conscientious¹⁵, more agreeable and so on. But if you go back to your grade six reunion, the rank order of people on these different dimensions stays relatively³⁷ the same. The kid who was the class clown may have a little more sophisticated sense of humor now that he's 36. But he's still the one cracking the jokes.

RAZ: Yeah.

LITTLE: I see traits as being - having sort of two boxes in the model. One are relatively fixed traits, which have a biogenic root, and then what I call free traits, which are more modulable and are much more likely to not reflect the biogenic but some other aspects of the roots of our personalities.

(SOUNDBITE OF TED TALK)

LITTLE: What are these free traits? There where we enact³⁸ a script in order to advance a core project in our lives. And they are what matters. Don't ask people, what type you are? Ask them what, are your core projects in your life? And we enact those free traits. I'm an introvert. But I have a core project, which is to profess¹. I am a professor. And I adore my students. And I adore my field. And so I act in an extroverted⁷ way because at 8 in the morning, the students need a little bit of humor, a little bit of engagement to keep them going in arduous³⁹ days of study.

But we need to be very careful when we act protractedly out of character. Sometimes we may find that we don't take care of ourselves. I find, for example, after a period of pseudo-extroverted behavior, I need to repair somewhere on my own. I sometimes go to the men's room to escape the slings⁴⁰ and arrows of outrageous⁴¹ extroverts. I remember one particular day when I was retired⁴² to a cubicle⁴³ trying to avoid overstimulation, and a real extrovert came in beside me. And I could hear various evacuatory noises, which we hate, even our own. That's why flush during as well as after.

(LAUGHTER)

LITTLE: And then I heard this gravelly voice saying, hey, is that Dr. Little? If anything is guaranteed to constipate an introvert for six months is talking on the John.

(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)

RAZ: This is - Brian, this is like a question that you would ask God. And you're the closest that we have to God here today.

LITTLE: (Laughter) God, help us.

RAZ: So you're going to have to stand in for God. But, I mean, you know, we've heard from Robert Sapolsky about how our behaviors are essentially⁴⁴ determined⁴⁵ - right? - by genetics and environment and how we can also change our behavior from Moshe Szyf. So what is it? Like, what is it that makes us who we are?

LITTLE: Now here this...

(LAUGHTER)

LITTLE: I think it is our personality, but only our personality if it is construed⁴⁶ as the pursuit of projects that matter to us in our life. We're foolish if we try to say we're either completely free to chart paths irrespective of the traits that we were born with, on the one hand, or the opposite. I think that there are three things that are important here. One is the biogenic authenticity⁴⁷ of our lives, where you're able to do things that come naturally to you. The second is what I call socio-eugenic authenticity, where you're doing things that matter to your culture and you can do no other.

And the third is what I call idiogenic - comes from the same root as idiosyncrasy. And these are the personal things that you have crafted for yourself. And they may stand in conflict with both your biogenic nature and your socio-genic nature. And it is that that gives us our signature singularity. This isn't putting in a plea for snowflake-ishness (ph). This is a plea for recognizing that we are all like all some and no other person. Fascinating individual differences make us distinctive⁴⁸ - indeed, unique.

RAZ: That's psychologist Brian Little. He's written a book about this. It's called "Who Are You, Really? The Surprising Puzzle Of Personality." You can hear his full talk at TED.com

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "WHY CAN'T YOU BEHAVE?")

ELLA FITZGERALD: (Singing) Why can't you behave?

RAZ: Hey, thanks for listening to our show Hardwired this week. If you want to find out more about who is on it, you can go to npr.org. To see hundreds more TED Talks, check out TED.com or the TED app. Our production staff here at NPR includes Jeff Rogers, Sanaz Meshkinpour, Jinae West, Neva Grant, Rund Abdelfatah and Rachel Faulkner with help from Daniel Shukin. Our intern⁴⁹ is Tony Liu. Our partners at TED are Chris Anderson, Colin Helms, Anna Phelan and Janet Lee. I'm Guy Raz. And you've been listening to ideas worth spreading right here on the TED Radio Hour from NPR.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "WHY CAN'T YOU BEHAVE?")

FITZGERALD: (Singing) Oh, why can't you behave?

1 profess   

v.声称，冒称，以...为业，正式接受入教，表明信仰

参考例句：

• I profess that I was surprised at the news.我承认这消息使我惊讶。
• What religion does he profess?他信仰哪种宗教？

2 psychology   

n.心理，心理学，心理状态

参考例句：

• She has a background in child psychology.她受过儿童心理学的教育。
• He studied philosophy and psychology at Cambridge.他在剑桥大学学习哲学和心理学。

3 personalities   

n. 诽谤，（对某人容貌、性格等所进行的）人身攻击； 人身攻击；人格, 个性, 名人( personality的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• There seemed to be a degree of personalities in her remarks.她话里有些人身攻击的成分。
• Personalities are not in good taste in general conversation.在一般的谈话中诽谤他人是不高尚的。

4 genetic   

adj.遗传的，遗传学的

参考例句：

• It's very difficult to treat genetic diseases.遗传性疾病治疗起来很困难。
• Each daughter cell can receive a full complement of the genetic information.每个子细胞可以收到遗传信息的一个完全补偿物。

5 component   

n.组成部分，成分，元件；adj.组成的，合成的

参考例句：

• Each component is carefully checked before assembly.每个零件在装配前都经过仔细检查。
• Blade and handle are the component parts of a knife.刀身和刀柄是一把刀的组成部分。

6 extrovert   

n.性格外向的人

参考例句：

• A good salesman is usually an extrovert,who likes to mingle with people.一个好的推销员通常很外向，喜欢和人们交往。
• Do you think you're an extrovert or introvert?你认为你是个性外向的人还是个性内向的人？

7 extroverted   

a.性格外向的

参考例句：

• Do you think you are introverted or extroverted? 你认为你性格内向还是外向？
• Are you introverted or extroverted? 你个性内向还是外向？ 来自轻松英语会话---联想2000词(上)

8 ted   

vt.翻晒，撒，撒开

参考例句：

• The invaders gut ted the village.侵略者把村中财物洗劫一空。
• She often teds the corn when it's sunny.天好的时候她就翻晒玉米。

9 neurotic   

adj.神经病的，神经过敏的；n.神经过敏者，神经病患者

参考例句：

• Nothing is more distracting than a neurotic boss. 没有什么比神经过敏的老板更恼人的了。
• There are also unpleasant brain effects such as anxiety and neurotic behaviour.也会对大脑产生不良影响，如焦虑和神经质的行为。

10 neurotically   

参考例句：

• They are finely, not to say nEurotically adjusted. 虽然不能说心理上已经调整好了，但他们的确已经很好了。 来自互联网

11 influential   

adj.有影响的，有权势的

参考例句：

• He always tries to get in with the most influential people.他总是试图巴结最有影响的人物。
• He is a very influential man in the government.他在政府中是个很有影响的人物。

12 aligns   

使成一线( align的第三人称单数 )； 排整齐； 校准； 公开支持（某人、集体或观点）

参考例句：

• HASP SRM fully aligns with the software product lifecycle. HASPSRM完全遵循软件产品的生命周期。
• Significant employee aligns the interests of our employees and our shareholders. 员工大量持股可以使员工与股东的利益协调一致。

13 acronym   

n.首字母简略词，简称

参考例句：

• That's a mouthful of an acronym for a very simple technology.对于一项非常简单的技术来说，这是一个很绕口的缩写词。
• TSDF is an acronym for Treatment, Storage and Disposal Facilities.TSDF是处理，储存和处置设施的一个缩写。

14 versus   

prep.以…为对手，对；与…相比之下

参考例句：

• The big match tonight is England versus Spain.今晚的大赛是英格兰对西班牙。
• The most exciting game was Harvard versus Yale.最富紧张刺激的球赛是哈佛队对耶鲁队。

15 conscientious   

adj.审慎正直的，认真的，本着良心的

参考例句：

• He is a conscientious man and knows his job.他很认真负责，也很懂行。
• He is very conscientious in the performance of his duties.他非常认真地履行职责。

16 conscientiousness   

责任心

参考例句：

• Conscientiousness is expected of a student. 学生要诚实。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Only has the conscientiousness, diligently works, can make a more splendid result! 只有脚踏实地，努力工作，才能做出更出色的成绩！ 来自互联网

17 lackadaisical   

adj.无精打采的，无兴趣的；adv.无精打采地，不决断地

参考例句：

• His will was sapped and his whole attitude was lackadaisical.心里松懈，身态与神气便吊儿啷当。
• Lao Wang is very serious with work,so do not be lackadaisical.老王干活可较真儿啦，你可别马马虎虎的。

18 introvert   

n.性格内向的人

参考例句：

• You are very much an introvert.你是一位地道的内向性格者。
• The same conversation that energizes the extravert also drains the introvert.同样的交谈能让外向者荣光焕发，却让内向者精神颓靡。

19 well-being   

n.安康，安乐，幸福

参考例句：

• He always has the well-being of the masses at heart.他总是把群众的疾苦挂在心上。
• My concern for their well-being was misunderstood as interference.我关心他们的幸福，却被误解为多管闲事。

20 consequential   

adj.作为结果的，间接的；重要的

参考例句：

• She was injured and suffered a consequential loss of earnings.她受了伤因而收入受损。
• This new transformation is at least as consequential as that one was.这一新的转变至少和那次一样重要。

21 intriguing   

adj.有趣的；迷人的v.搞阴谋诡计(intrigue的现在分词)；激起…的好奇心

参考例句：

• These discoveries raise intriguing questions. 这些发现带来了非常有趣的问题。
• It all sounds very intriguing. 这些听起来都很有趣。 来自《简明英汉词典》

22 extroverts   

性格外向的人( extrovert的名词复数 )； 活跃、愉快、爱交际的人

参考例句：

• In the second half, the students were criticized. Extroverts were unfazed. 在后半部分，举不动时学生要受批评，外向性格的学生表现出不满。 来自英汉非文学 - 生命科学 - 大脑与疾病
• Extroverts prefer lively conversation to brooding on the meaning of life. 性格外向的人喜欢高谈阔论，而不愿思索人生的意义。

23 punctuated   

v.（在文字中）加标点符号，加标点( punctuate的过去式和过去分词 )；不时打断某事物

参考例句：

• Her speech was punctuated by bursts of applause. 她的讲演不时被阵阵掌声打断。
• The audience punctuated his speech by outbursts of applause. 听众不时以阵阵掌声打断他的讲话。 来自《简明英汉词典》

24 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。

25 diminutive   

adj.小巧可爱的，小的

参考例句：

• Despite its diminutive size,the car is quite comfortable.尽管这辆车很小，但相当舒服。
• She has diminutive hands for an adult.作为一个成年人，她的手显得非常小。

26 chuckles   

轻声地笑( chuckle的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Father always chuckles when he reads the funny papers. 父亲在读幽默报纸时总是低声发笑。
• [Chuckles] You thought he was being poisoned by hemlock? 你觉得他中的会是芹叶钩吻毒吗？

27 introverts   

性格内向的人( introvert的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Extroverts tend to lack self-discipline while introverts lack courage. 性格外向的人缺乏自我约束力，而性格内向的人则缺乏勇气。
• I an introvert and introverts get drawn in. 我是个内向的人而且内向是天生的。

28 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

29 contingent   

adj.视条件而定的；n.一组，代表团，分遣队

参考例句：

• The contingent marched in the direction of the Western Hills.队伍朝西山的方向前进。
• Whether or not we arrive on time is contingent on the weather.我们是否按时到达要视天气情况而定。

30 kernel   

n.(果实的)核，仁；(问题)的中心，核心

参考例句：

• The kernel of his problem is lack of money.他的问题的核心是缺钱。
• The nutshell includes the kernel.果壳裹住果仁。

31 fixed   

adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的

参考例句：

• Have you two fixed on a date for the wedding yet?你们俩选定婚期了吗？
• Once the aim is fixed,we should not change it arbitrarily.目标一旦确定，我们就不应该随意改变。

32 fixedness   

n.固定；稳定；稳固

参考例句：

• The fixedness of his gaze upset her. 他目不转睛的凝视让她心烦意乱。 来自互联网
• Its distributing of stress is simulated by finite element analysis software order to compare their fixedness. 并使用有限元分析软件对不同微桥进行结构分析，以比较其稳固性。 来自互联网

33 temperament   

n.气质，性格，性情

参考例句：

• The analysis of what kind of temperament you possess is vital.分析一下你有什么样的气质是十分重要的。
• Success often depends on temperament.成功常常取决于一个人的性格。

34 daunting   

adj.使人畏缩的

参考例句：

• They were faced with the daunting task of restoring the house.他们面临着修复房子的艰巨任务。
• Starting a new job can be a daunting prospect.开始一项新工作有时会让人望而却步。

35 immutable   

adj.不可改变的，永恒的

参考例句：

• Nothing in the world is immutable.世界没有一成不变的东西。
• They free our minds from considering our world as fixed and immutable.它们改变着人们将世界看作是永恒不变的观点。

36 complexity   

n.复杂(性)，复杂的事物

参考例句：

• Only now did he understand the full complexity of the problem.直到现在他才明白这一问题的全部复杂性。
• The complexity of the road map puzzled me.错综复杂的公路图把我搞糊涂了。

37 relatively   

adv.比较...地，相对地

参考例句：

• The rabbit is a relatively recent introduction in Australia.兔子是相对较新引入澳大利亚的物种。
• The operation was relatively painless.手术相对来说不痛。

38 enact   

vt.制定(法律)；上演，扮演

参考例句：

• The U.S. Congress has exclusive authority to enact federal legislation.美国国会是唯一有权颁布联邦法律的。
• For example,a country can enact laws and economic policies to attract foreign investment fairly quickly.例如一个国家可以很快颁布吸引外资的法令和经济政策。

39 arduous   

adj.艰苦的，费力的，陡峭的

参考例句：

• We must have patience in doing arduous work.我们做艰苦的工作要有耐性。
• The task was more arduous than he had calculated.这项任务比他所估计的要艰巨得多。

40 slings   

抛( sling的第三人称单数 )； 吊挂； 遣送； 押往

参考例句：

• "Don't you fear the threat of slings, Perched on top of Branches so high?" 矫矫珍木巅，得无金丸惧？ 来自英汉 - 翻译样例 - 文学
• Used for a variety of things including slings and emergency tie-offs. 用于绳套，设置保护点，或者紧急情况下打结。

41 outrageous   

adj.无理的，令人不能容忍的

参考例句：

• Her outrageous behaviour at the party offended everyone.她在聚会上的无礼行为触怒了每一个人。
• Charges for local telephone calls are particularly outrageous.本地电话资费贵得出奇。

42 retired   

adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的

参考例句：

• The old man retired to the country for rest.这位老人下乡休息去了。
• Many retired people take up gardening as a hobby.许多退休的人都以从事园艺为嗜好。

43 cubicle   

n.大房间中隔出的小室

参考例句：

• She studies in a cubicle in the school library.她在学校图书馆的小自习室里学习。
• A technical sergeant hunches in a cubicle.一位技术军士在一间小屋里弯腰坐着。

44 essentially   

adv.本质上，实质上，基本上

参考例句：

• Really great men are essentially modest.真正的伟人大都很谦虚。
• She is an essentially selfish person.她本质上是个自私自利的人。

45 determined   

adj.坚定的；有决心的

参考例句：

• I have determined on going to Tibet after graduation.我已决定毕业后去西藏。
• He determined to view the rooms behind the office.他决定查看一下办公室后面的房间。

46 construed   

v.解释（陈述、行为等）( construe的过去式和过去分词 )；翻译，作句法分析

参考例句：

• He considered how the remark was to be construed. 他考虑这话该如何理解。
• They construed her silence as meaning that she agreed. 他们把她的沉默解释为表示赞同。 来自《简明英汉词典》

47 authenticity   

n.真实性

参考例句：

• There has been some debate over the authenticity of his will. 对于他的遗嘱的真实性一直有争论。
• The museum is seeking an expert opinion on the authenticity of the painting. 博物馆在请专家鉴定那幅画的真伪。

48 distinctive   

adj.特别的，有特色的，与众不同的

参考例句：

• She has a very distinctive way of walking.她走路的样子与别人很不相同。
• This bird has several distinctive features.这个鸟具有几种突出的特征。

49 intern   

v.拘禁，软禁；n.实习生

参考例句：

• I worked as an intern in that firm last summer.去年夏天我在那家商行实习。
• The intern bandaged the cut as the nurse looked on.这位实习生在护士的照看下给病人包扎伤口。