我们日常会做的十大怪事的科学解释(上)_美文

我们日常会做的十大怪事的科学解释(上)

7.Fascination With Psychopaths 7.对精神病患者极度迷恋

A good size of the population has a fascination with the macabre and specifically psychopaths. Nightly entertainment is chock-full of crazy, psychotic killers, and for some reason, we cant get enough of them. What might our insatiable interest in the vilest of humans say about us as a people? There are three main theories floating around to explain this obsession. 很大一部分人对某种特别可怕的精神病患者极度迷恋。夜间娱乐总是充满着疯狂的气息、变态杀手。作为人类最粗鄙最贪婪的欲望，它会对我们说些什么呢？以下有三大主要理论来解释这个困惑。 The first idea is that watching or hearing about psychos allows us to temporarily step out of our conscientious, law-abiding shoes and vicariously step into the shoes of someone who only thinks about himself. He doesnt do any of the things we automatically do every day, like worrying about others feelings or being fair. Imagining ourselves as that person (even unconsciously) temporarily liberates us from these obligations without actually causing any harm. In contrast, forensic psychologist J. Reid Meloy says that psychopaths are a type of predator, and hearing about them connects us with our primal existence of constantly being both the hunter and the hunted. Entertaining ourselves with the stories of human predators allows us to relate with our primal, animalistic selves without experiencing the real danger of the natural world.Finally, psychiatrist and Harvard professor Ron Schouten says that our draw to psychopaths is similar to our attraction to horror movies or roller coasters. Sometimes we just like to be frightened, and tales of psycho killers can definitely fulfill that need. This is because being frightened sends a rush of neurotransmitters, including dopamine, which evokes feelings of pleasure. In an entertainment setting where theres no real danger, our fear doesnt last long. On top of the dopamine-induced pleasure, we usually leave the theater or turn off the TV feeling a sense of well-being or justice (depending on how the film or show ends). This type of satisfaction keeps us coming back for more. 第一个原因是，对于精神病患者的所见所闻使我们暂时地摆脱恪守良心，奉公守法的角色，而间接地闯入那些只顾及自己感受的角色。精神病患者的所作所为与我们每天自然而然做的事情不尽相同，例如，是否关心别人的感受和公平地对待他人。假设我们成为了那种人（甚至无意识的想像），这可以使我们暂时从克己守法的义务中解放自我，并且不对社会造成任何伤害。相反，犯罪心理学家丁里德·洛埃声称精神患者是一种类型的捕食者，关于他们的传说总是与原始的捕猎者和被捕者联系起来。用人类肉食动物的故事自娱自乐容易使我们联想到那种没有经历过自然世界真正危险的原始兽性。最后，精神病学家兼哈佛教授罗恩·苏雷顿表示，我们对精神病患者的迷恋正如被恐怖片和坐过山车吸引一般。有时候，我们就是喜欢被恐吓的感觉，而精神病杀手的故事毫无疑问能满足我们的需求。这是因为恐吓使得包括多巴胺在内的神经递质快速传输，因而产生了一种愉悦感。在娱乐的环境下，因为不存在真正的危险，所以我们的恐惧感也不会持续太久。在多巴胺诱导的乐趣中的高潮部分，我们通常会离开剧院或者关掉电视，这时候我们就会有一种幸福感或者正义感（依电影或者节目的结尾而定）。这种类型的满足感使得我们回头继续迷恋精神病患者。