have put 37 people who are madly in love

將 37 名瘋狂陷入愛河的人們

into a functional MRI brain scanner.

接受MRI 腦部掃描

17 who were happily in love, 15 who had just been dumped,

其中 17 名正在享受愛情， 另外 15 名則剛剛被甩

and we're just starting our third experiment:

而現在我們的第 3 項實驗才剛起步：

studying people who report that they're still in love

研究那些依然認為自己愛火未熄的人們

after 10 to 25 years of marriage.

這些人都結婚 10 到 25 年了

So, this is the short story of that research.

現在，我們就來簡單的談談這項研究

In the jungles of Guatemala, in Tikal, stands a temple.

在瓜地馬拉叢林中一個叫帝卡的地方， 有一座神廟

It was built by the grandest Sun King,

由至高無上的太陽王建造

of the grandest city-state,

他統治最偉大的城市城邦

of the grandest civilization of the Americas, the Mayas.

創造出最輝煌的美洲文明 -- 馬雅

His name was Jasaw Chan K'awiil.

太陽王叫做卡薩．肯．切威

He stood over six feet tall.

身高超過 6 呎

He lived into his 80s,

活到高壽 80 歲

and he was buried beneath this monument in 720 AD.

西元 720 年，他就被葬在這神廟下

And Mayan inscriptions proclaim

殿中的馬雅碑文描述

that he was deeply in love with his wife.

他深愛自己的妻子

So, he built a temple in her honor, facing his.

因此為她建造了面朝自己的神廟

And every spring and autumn, exactly at the equinox,

每年春秋兩季，就在春秋分這兩日

the sun rises behind his temple,

太陽從他的神廟後方升起

and perfectly bathes her temple with his shadow.

神廟投下的陰影，將完全將籠罩妻子的神廟

And as the sun sets behind her temple in the afternoon,

到了傍晚，太陽在妻子神廟後落下

it perfectly bathes his temple with her shadow.

自己的神廟就會完全籠罩在妻子的陰影中

After 1,300 years, these two lovers

即使過了 1300 年，這對愛侶

still touch and kiss from their tomb.

仍在墓中相擁相親

Around the world, people love.

世界各地的人們付出愛情

They sing for love, they dance for love,

他們為愛而歌、因愛而舞

they compose poems and stories about love.

寫出關於愛情的詩和故事

They tell myths and legends about love.

訴說關於愛情的神話和傳說

They pine for love, they live for love,

他們為愛消瘦、為愛而活

they kill for love, and they die for love.

為愛殺戮也為愛而死

As Walt Whitman once said,

惠特曼曾說

he said, "Oh, I would stake all for you."

他說：「喔，我願為愛放棄一切」

Anthropologists have found evidence of romantic love in 170 societies.

人類學家在超過 170 個社會中找到愛情的證據

They've never found a society that did not have it.

他們從未找到一個沒有愛的社會

But love isn't always a happy experience.

但愛不總是快樂的

In one study of college students,

在一個大學生的調查中

they asked a lot of questions about love,

他們問了許多關於愛情的問題

but the two that stood out to me the most were,

其中最引我注意的兩個問題就是

"Have you ever been rejected by somebody who you really loved?"

你曾經被自己真愛的人拒絕嗎？

And the second question was,

第二個問題則是

"Have you ever dumped somebody who really loved you?"

你曾經拋棄真正愛妳的人嗎？

And almost 95 percent of both men and women said yes to both.

不管男女，回答兩者皆是的人幾近 95%

Almost nobody gets out of love alive.

幾乎沒人能從愛中全身而退

So, before I start telling you about the brain,

因此，在開始談大腦之前

I want to read for you

我想先念幾段文字

what I think is the most powerful love poem on Earth.

我認為這是世界上最動人的情詩

There's other love poems that are, of course, just as good,

當然，其他情詩也很好

but I don't think this one can be surpassed.

不過我認為這首詩真的是無與倫比

It was told by an anonymous Kwakiutl Indian of southern Alaska

南阿拉斯加的一名瓜基烏圖族印第安人

to a missionary in 1896, and here it is.

在 1896 年將這首詩告訴傳教士，詩是這麼說的

I've never had the opportunity to say it before.

這是我第一次有機會唸出來

"Fire runs through my body with the pain of loving you.

愛妳的痛苦，蔓延全身如火燒灼

Pain runs through my body with the fires of my love for you.

對妳的愛火，燒灼全身痛苦難抑

Pain like a boil about to burst with my love for you,

對妳的愛伴隨之苦似水，將沸將滿

consumed by fire with my love for you.

遭愛情的烈焰吞噬

I remember what you said to me.

妳的愛語，我不曾忘記

I am thinking of your love for me.

妳的愛情，我時時惦記

I am torn by your love for me.

妳的愛情，讓我分崩離析

Pain and more pain --

痛苦無盡

where are you going with my love?

妳，帶著我的愛情，要往何去

I am told you will go from here.

我聽說妳將就此離去

I am told you will leave me here.

我聽說妳要將我獨留此地

My body is numb with grief.

我的身體，現已悲痛無覺

Remember what I said, my love.

我的一字一句，愛人呀，請別忘記

Goodbye, my love, goodbye."

再見了，我的愛，後會有期

Emily Dickinson once wrote,

愛蜜莉狄更生曾寫到

"Parting is all we need to know of hell."

分離，讓我們體會地獄

How many people have suffered

多少人受此折磨

in all the millions of years of human evolution?

在人類演化的這幾百萬年中？

How many people around the world

世界上又有多少人

are dancing with elation at this very minute?

在此刻因愛狂喜雀躍？

Romantic love is one of the most powerful sensations on Earth.

世上最強大感情之一就是浪漫的愛情。

So, several years ago, I decided to look into the brain

因此，幾年前我便決定深入研究大腦

and study this madness.

藉此研究這種瘋狂耽溺

Our first study of people who were happily in love

我們對愛情中的人們所作的第一項研究

has been widely publicized,

已大量出版

so I'm only going to say a very little about it.

所以，我便不再贅述

We found activity in a tiny, little factory near the base of the brain

我們在靠近腦底部的小地方發現腦部活動

called the ventral tegmental area.

該處叫做腹側蓋區 (VTA)

We found activity in some cells called the A10 cells,

我們發現了一些名為 ApEn 的細胞

cells that actually make dopamine, a natural stimulant,

這些細胞負責製造多巴胺這種自然的激素

and spray it to many brain regions.

然後將之送到腦部的許多區域

Indeed, this part, the VTA, is part of the brain's reward system.

其實 VTA 區是腦部回饋系統的一部份

It's way below your cognitive thinking process.

比負責認知思考的腦區深很多

It's below your emotions.

也比負責情緒的腦區深

It's part of what we call the reptilian core of the brain,

它屬於名為爬蟲類腦的腦部區域

associated with wanting, with motivation,

跟欲望和動機

with focus and with craving.

還有專注與渴望相關

In fact, the same brain region where we found activity

事實上，我們發現這個活躍的區域

becomes active also when you feel the rush of cocaine.

在古柯鹼毒癮發作時，也有相同反應

But romantic love is much more than a cocaine high --

但浪漫的愛情，不只是吸毒的癮

at least you come down from cocaine.

至少，吸毒的癮會過去

Romantic love is an obsession. It possesses you.

浪漫的愛情則是一種癡迷，讓人沈淪耽溺

You lose your sense of self.

令你神魂顛倒、喪失自我

You can't stop thinking about another human being.

你無法停止惦記另一個人

Somebody is camping in your head.

有人在你心裡紮營

As an eighth-century Japanese poet said,

正如 8 世紀日本詩人說的

"My longing had no time when it ceases."

我的渴望無時止息

Wild is love.

瘋狂就是愛

And the obsession can get worse when you've been rejected.

而且，這種迷戀還可能在遭到拒絕後加深

So, right now, Lucy Brown and I, the neuroscientist on our project,

因此現在，露西和我以及研究計畫中的腦神經學家

are looking at the data of the people

正在觀察實驗樣本的數據

who were put into the machine after they had just been dumped.

這些接受掃描的人，都剛被拋棄

It was very difficult actually,

這不是件簡單的事

putting these people in the machine,

讓這些人接受掃描

because they were in such bad shape.

因為他們真是不成人型

(Laughter)

(笑聲)

So anyway, we found activity in three brain regions.

總之，我們在 3 個腦區發現活動

We found activity in the brain region,

其中一個活動的腦區

in exactly the same brain region

竟然就是那個

associated with intense romantic love.

與強烈的愛情相關的腦區

What a bad deal.

天呀，真糟糕

You know, when you've been dumped,

大家都知道，一但被拋棄

the one thing you love to do is just forget about this human being,

我們唯一想做的事就是把這個人忘了

and then go on with your life --

然後重新開始生活

but no, you just love them harder.

不過，我們實際上反而愛的更深

As the poet Terence, the Roman poet once said,

就像羅馬詩人泰倫斯曾說的

he said, "The less my hope, the hotter my love."

他說「希望愈渺，愛情愈炙」

And indeed, we now know why.

現在，我們終於知道原因了

Two thousand years later, we can explain this in the brain.

2,000 年後，我們可以用大腦活動解釋

That brain system -- the reward system

這一個大腦系統，這個回饋系統

for wanting, for motivation, for craving, for focus --

負責欲望、動機、渴望和專注

becomes more active when you can't get what you want.

在無法遂願時，反而更加活躍

In this case, life's greatest prize:

就這樣，我們得到生命賜予的最大獻禮

an appropriate mating partner.

一個合適的交配伴侶

We found activity in other brain regions also --

我們也在其他腦區發現活動

in a brain region associated with calculating gains and losses.

在計算得失的腦區

You know, you're lying there, you're looking at the picture,

你知道的，你躺在那，看著相片

and you're in this machine,

在機器裡

and you're calculating, you know, what went wrong.

你同時也在算計，自己做錯了什麼？

How, you know, what have I lost?

為什麼失敗，又失去了什麼？

As a matter of fact, Lucy and I have a little joke about this.

實際上，露西跟我還就這個情況說了個小笑話

It comes from a David Mamet play,

靈感是大衛馬蒙的戲

and there's two con artists in the play,

戲中有男女兩個騙子

and the woman is conning the man,

女的試著誘騙男人上鉤

and the man looks at the woman and says,

但這個男人看著女人，然後說

"Oh, you're a bad pony, I'm not going to bet on you."

喔，妳少耍心機了，我才不會上當呢

And indeed, it's this part of the brain,

這就是這一個腦區

the core of the nucleus accumbens, actually, that is becoming active

阿肯柏氏核的中樞開始活動

as you're measuring your gains and losses.

就在我們計算得失的時候

It's also the brain region that becomes active

這個腦區也會開始活躍

when you're willing to take enormous risks

當我們自願冒極大的險

for huge gains and huge losses.

以得到巨大的報償或損失

Last but not least, we found activity in a brain region

最後，但卻重要的是，我們在一個腦區發現的活動

associated with deep attachment to another individual.

這和對另一個體的深度依戀有關

No wonder people suffer around the world,

難怪世上的人都在受苦

and we have so many crimes of passion.

而且有那麼多因愛犯罪的案例

When you've been rejected in love,

當我們在愛中遭到拒絕

not only are you engulfed with feelings of romantic love,

我們不只在愛情中滅頂

but you're feeling deep attachment to this individual.

還會對對方產生深度的依戀

Moreover, this brain circuit for reward is working,

而且，大腦回饋迴路的作用

and you're feeling intense energy, intense focus,

我們感到極度有活力、專注

intense motivation and the willingness to risk it all

極度有動力且非常願意窮盡一切

to win life's greatest prize.

贏得生命的大禮

So, what have I learned from this experiment

那麼，我到底從這項實驗中學到什麼？

that I would like to tell the world?

我想告訴大家什麼？

Foremost, I have come to think

首先，我開始認為

that romantic love is a drive, a basic mating drive.

愛情是一種慾望，一種引發交配本能的慾望

Not the sex drive -- the sex drive gets you out there,

它不是性慾，因為性慾讓你忘了愛情

looking for a whole range of partners.

尋找各式各樣的性伴侶

Romantic love enables you to focus your mating energy

真正的愛情讓我們只將交配精力聚焦在單一對象

on just one at a time, conserve your mating energy,

一次針對一個人，保留我們的交配精力

and start the mating process with this single individual.

然後跟這個單一對象，開始交配過程

I think of all the poetry that I've read about romantic love,

回想所有我讀過的情詩

what sums it up best is something that is said by Plato,

柏拉圖說得最好

over 2,000 years ago.

超過 2,000 年前

He said, "The god of love lives in a state of need.

他說「需求產生愛」

It is a need. It is an urge.

愛是需求，是衝動

It is a homeostatic imbalance.

是內在恆定的失衡

Like hunger and thirst, it's almost impossible to stamp out."

就像饑渴，幾乎不可能壓抑消滅

I've also come to believe that romantic love is an addiction:

我也開始相信，愛情是一種癮

a perfectly wonderful addiction when it's going well,

一種在順遂時，極度美好

and a perfectly horrible addiction when it's going poorly.

情況有變時則極度糟糕的癮

And indeed, it has all of the characteristics of addiction.

實際上，愛也有許多和上癮相同的特性

You focus on the person, you obsessively think about them,

我們專注於一個人、無法自拔的想他、

you crave them, you distort reality,

渴望他、不惜扭曲事實

your willingness to take enormous risks to win this person.

為了抱得良人歸，我們願意冒極大的險

And it's got the three main characteristics of addiction:

所以，愛情有這 3 大成癮的特性

tolerance, you need to see them more, and more, and more;

泰倫斯說「你需要更常見到他，再更常見到他」

withdrawals; and last, relapse.

戒癮，之後復發

I've got a girlfriend who's just getting over a terrible love affair.

我有個女性朋友，剛結束一段糟糕的戀情

It's been about eight months, she's beginning to feel better.

8 個月過去了，她開始覺得好一些

And she was driving along in her car the other day,

有一天她正在開車

and suddenly she heard a song on the car radio

突然聽見收音機放出一首歌

that reminded her of this man.

讓她想起這個男人

And she -- not only did the instant craving come back,

最後她，不只是感到那種迫切渴望又回來了

but she had to pull over

她還不得不靠邊

from the side of the road and cry.

將車停在路邊大哭一場

So, one thing I would like the medical community,

因此，我希望醫學界、

and the legal community, and even the college community,

法學界，甚至是大學學界

to see if they can understand, that indeed,

試著理解，事實上

romantic love is one of the most addictive substances on Earth.

愛情是世上最容易成癮的毒品

I would also like to tell the world that animals love.

我也希望告訴大家，動物也會愛

There's not an animal on this planet

這世上沒有一種動物

that will copulate with anything that comes along.

會任意無選擇的交配

Too old, too young, too scruffy, too stupid, and they won't do it.

太老、太小、太髒、太笨，就不會交配

Unless you're stuck in a laboratory cage --

除非困在實驗室籠子裡

and you know, if you spend your entire life in a little box,

你知道，要是一輩子都在小盒子裡

you're not going to be as picky about who you have sex with --

對於性伴侶，就不會這麼挑剔

but I've looked in a hundred species,

不過我觀察了一千種物種

and everywhere in the wild, animals have favorites.

在野外，動物就是會大小眼

As a matter of fact ethologists know this.

實際上動物學家也知道這點

There are over eight words for what they call "animal favoritism:"

他們用 4 個詞形容動物的大小眼

selective proceptivity, mate choice, female choice, sexual choice.

選擇知覺、交配選擇、雌性選擇、性選擇

And indeed, there are now three academic articles

而且，已有 3 篇學術論文

in which they've looked at this attraction,

研究這樣的吸引力

which may only last for a second,

雖然只維持短短一秒

but it's a definite attraction,

這就是一種吸引力

and either this same brain region, this reward system,

同樣的腦部區域，這種回饋系統

or the chemicals of that reward system are involved.

或是回饋系統的化學作用都與之相關

In fact, I think animal attraction can be instant --

實際上，我認為動物的吸引力可能在當下馬上發生

you can see an elephant instantly go for another elephant.

我們可以看見大象馬上走向另一隻大象

And I think that this is really the origin

我認為這就是一個開始

of what you and I call "love at first sight."

開始了我們口中的「一見鍾情」

People have often asked me whether

大家常問我

what I know about love has spoiled it for me.

我對愛情的了解，會不會讓我對愛情失去興趣

And I just simply say, "Hardly."

我只能說，一點也不

You can know every single ingredient in a piece of chocolate cake,

正如我們知道巧克力蛋糕的所有材料

and then when you sit down and eat that cake,

不過，真正坐下來吃蛋糕時

you can still feel that joy.

還是覺得很享受

And certainly, I make all the same mistakes

當然，我還是會犯同樣的錯

that everybody else does too,

犯天下人都會犯的錯

but it's really deepened my understanding

不過，這一切都加深了我的了解

and compassion, really, for all human life.

我對各種人的同理心，

As a matter of fact, in New York, I often catch myself

其實，在紐約，我常發現自己

looking in baby carriages and feeling a little sorry for the tot.

望著嬰兒車，對裡面的寶寶感到一點遺憾