It would be so nice to believe that they could simply brush off their experiences and keep an unblemished faith in life and in themselves.

如果相信他們可以簡單地抹去自己的經歷，對生活和自己保持一塵不染的信心，那該有多好。

But the more psychologists have studied children, the more they've realised something extremely susceptible to the moods of the people around us.

但隨著心理學家對兒童研究的深入，他們越發意識到，有些東西極易受到周圍人情緒的影響。

Expose people to violent tempers early on and the scars can last a lifetime.

讓人很早就接觸到暴躁的脾氣，其傷疤可能會持續一生。

At the University of Washington's Institute for Learning and Brain Sciences,

在華盛頓大學的學習與腦科學研究所，

psychologist Professor Betty Repaccioli and her team have carried out a riveting experiment to show what can happen to a sensitive child, that is, to every child, who comes in the vicinity of a raised angry voice.

心理學家 Betty Repaccioli 教授和她的團隊進行了一項引人入勝的實驗，向人們展示了一個敏感的孩子，也就是每一個孩子，在遇到憤怒的聲音時會發生什麼。

Watch how this 15-month-old boy responds.

看看這個 15 個月大的男孩是如何做出反應的的。

What's inside the box?

盒子裡面有什麼？

You can take the lid off.

你可以把蓋子拿起來。

Is something in there?

有東西在裡面嗎？

There's a green cone.

有個綠色的圓柱積木。

You wanna put it back inside the box?

你想把它放回盒子裡嗎？

In a safe environment, a child is free to explore joyfully.

在安全的環境中，孩子們可以自由快樂地探索。

But when there is some kind of danger, represented here by a so-called emoter, curiosity quickly gives way to fear.

但是，當出現某種危險時，比如這裡所謂的「情緒者」，好奇心很快就會讓位於恐懼。

I choose that.

這是我的選擇。

I'm going to sit here and read a magazine.

我要坐在這裡看雜誌。

OK.

好的。

That's Kelly.

這位是 Kelly。

Kelly's going to sit and read a magazine.

Kelly 要坐下來看雜誌。

Kelly, look at this.

Kelly，看看這個。

That's aggravating.

真讓人生氣。

That's so annoying.

真煩人。

Oh, I thought it was really interesting.

哦，我覺得這真的很有趣。

Well, that's just your opinion.

那只是你的看法。

It's aggravating.

這很令人惱火。

This 15-month-old was lucky.

這個 15 個月大的孩子很幸運。

He was sitting on the lap of a loving mother and was quickly comforted.

他坐在慈母的腿上，很快就得到了安慰。

But many of us are less fortunate.

但我們許多人就沒那麼幸運了。

And it's life itself, rather than just a pink set of beads, that we have, as a consequence, grown too frightened to explore.

我們害怕探索的是生活本身，而不僅僅是一組粉紅色的珠子。

We should show ourselves immense compassion and strive with all our intelligence to create a world in which there might, henceforth, be a lot less rage and fewer cowed, traumatised children.

我們應該表現出極大的同情心，用我們所有的智慧努力創造一個這樣的世界：在這個世界上，今後可能會少一些憤怒，少一些畏縮不前、心靈受創的兒童。