You hear about it all the time.

現代人較為長壽

You read about it in your newspapers.

社會中銀髮族也愈來愈多

You hear about it on your television sets.

你不停聽到人家這麽說

Sometimes, I'm concerned

報紙上這麽說

that we hear about it so much that we've come to accept longer lives

電視上也這麽說

with a kind of a complacency, even ease.

有時候我會擔心

But make no mistake, longer lives can --

我們聼太多了

and, I believe, will improve quality of life at all ages.

我們變成用種自滿

Now to put this in perspective, let me just zoom out for a minute.

甚至輕鬆的態度

More years were added to average life expectancy in the 20th century

來接受長壽的事實

than all years added across all prior millennia

但是別誤會了

of human evolution combined.

我認爲長壽可以

In the blink of an eye,

也將會

we nearly doubled the length of time that we're living.

讓各種年紀的人

So if you ever feel like you don't have this aging thing quite pegged,

增進生活品質

don't kick yourself.

為了正確的看待這件事

It's brand new.

先讓我暫時抽離主題

And because fertility rates fell across that very same period

20世紀時

that life expectancy was going up,

所增加的

that pyramid that has always represented the distribution of age in the population,

人類平均壽命

with many young ones at the bottom winnowed to a tiny peak of older people

比起先前人類演化

who make it and survive to old age,

幾千年以來所增加的歲數

is being reshaped into a rectangle.

都還要來的多

And now, if you're the kind of person

只是在一眨眼間

who can get chills from population statistics,

我們的壽命幾乎就

(Laughter)

增加了兩倍

these are the ones that should do it.

所以如果你對長壽沒有特別的感覺

Because what that means

別怪你自己

is that for the first time in the history of the species,

這是個全新的現象

the majority of babies born in the developed world

同時間

are having the opportunity to grow old.

因為生育率下降

How did this happen?

平均壽命延長

Well, we're no genetically hardier than our ancestors were 10,000 years ago.

用來表示

This increase in life expectancy is the remarkable product of culture --

人口年齡分佈的金字塔

the crucible that holds science and technology

底層原本有很多年輕人

and wide-scale changes in behavior that improve health and well-being.

經篩選後只剩金字塔尖端的少數人

Through cultural changes, our ancestors largely eliminated early death

成功地存活到老年

so that people can now live out their full lives.

現在金字塔正逐漸變型

Now there are problems associated with aging --

成為長方形

diseases, poverty, loss of social status.

如果你是對人口統計資料

It's hardly time to rest on our laurels.

特別有興趣的人

But the more we learn about aging,

這些便是讓你「有感覺」的資料

the clearer it becomes that a sweeping downward course

因為這表示

is grossly inaccurate.

人類歷史上第一次

Aging brings some rather remarkable improvements --

在已開發國家中

increased knowledge, expertise --

出生的大多數嬰兒

and emotional aspects of life improve.

有機會能夠

That's right, older people are happy.

活到老

They're happier than middle-aged people, and younger people, certainly.

這是怎麽辦到的？

(Laughter)

我們的基因組合並沒有比我們1萬年前的祖先

Study after study is coming to the same conclusion.

還來得強韌

The CDC recently conducted a survey

平均壽命的增加

where they asked respondents simply to tell them

是令人讚嘆的文化產物 --

whether they experienced significant psychological distress

是經過嚴峻考驗

in the previous week.

透過科學和科技

And fewer older people answered affirmatively to that question

和大規模的行為改變

than middle-aged people, and younger people as well.

以增進健康和福祉

And a recent Gallup poll asked participants

透過文化變遷

how much stress and worry and anger they had experienced the previous day.

我們的祖先

And stress, worry, anger

大量地排除了早逝的機會

all decrease with age.

所以現在人們能度過完整的一生

Now social scientists call this the paradox of aging.

現今老化也帶來了一些問題 --

I mean, after all, aging is not a piece of cake.

疾病、貧窮、失去社會地位

So we've asked all sorts of questions to see if we could undo this finding.

幾乎無法安享晚年

We've asked whether it may be that the current generations of older people

但當我們對老化了解越多

are and always have been the greatest generations.

我們更清楚

That is that younger people today may not typically experience

這種越老越糟的人生觀

these improvements as they grow older.

是非常不正確的

We've asked,

老化也帶來一些非常卓越的改進 --

well, maybe older people are just trying to put a positive spin

智慧的增加、學有專精 --

on an otherwise depressing existence.

還有改善生活的情感部分

(Laughter)

沒錯

But the more we've tried to disavow this finding,

老年人很快樂

the more evidence we find to support it.

他們確實比中年人

Years ago, my colleagues and I embarked on a study

和年輕人快樂

where we followed the same group of people over a 10-year period.

研究一再顯示

Originally, the sample was aged 18 to 94.

相同的結果

And we studied whether and how their emotional experiences changed

疾病管制局最近做了一個調查

as they grew older.

他們要受訪者告訴他們

Our participants would carry electronic pagers

在過去一週裡，是否有經歷

for a week at a time,

重大的精神苦難

and we'd page them throughout the day and evenings at random times.

回答是的老年人人數很少

And every time we paged them,

相較於中年人

we'd ask them to answer several questions --

和年輕人

"On a one to seven scale, how happy are you right now?"

最近一次的蓋洛普民調

"How sad are you right now?"

問受訪者

"How frustrated are you right now?" --

在受訪的前一天經歷了

so that we could get a sense of the kinds of emotions and feelings they were having

多少壓力、擔憂和憤怒

in their day-to-day lives.

這些壓力、擔憂和憤怒

And using this intense study of individuals,

都隨年齡增加而減低

we find that it's not one particular generation

社會科學家稱這為老化的矛盾

that's doing better than the others,

畢竟變老不是件簡單的事

but the same individuals over time

所以我們問了各式各樣的問題

come to report relatively greater positive experience.

看是否能找出解答

Now you see this slight downturn at very advanced ages.

我們想知道是不是因為

And there is a slight downturn.

目前這一代的老年人

But at no point does it return to the levels we see in early adulthood.

一直以來都是

Now it's really too simplistic to say that older people are "happy."

最棒的世代

In our study, they are more positive.

意思是說，現今的年輕人

But they're also more likely than younger people

變老時可能也無法再經歷

to experience mixed emotions --

這樣的進步

sadness at the same time you experience happiness;

我們也問

you know, that tear in the eye when you're smiling at a friend.

或許老年人只是試著在令人沮喪的生存中

And other research has shown that older people seem to engage with sadness

過得樂觀一點

more comfortably.

（笑聲）

They're more accepting of sadness than younger people are.

但當我們試著要推翻這理論

And we suspect that this may help to explain

我們也發現越多可支持它

why older people are better than younger people

的證據

at solving hotly charged emotional conflicts and debates.

幾年前，我和我的同事作了個研究

Older people can view injustice with compassion,

我們用10年的時間追蹤了一組人

but not despair.

一開始這組樣本的年紀為18歲到94歲

And all things being equal,

我們研究他們的情感經歷是否隨著

older people direct their cognitive resources, like attention and memory,

年齡增長而改變

to positive information more than negative.

參加的人要戴著電子呼叫器

If we show older, middle-aged, younger people images,

每次一個星期

like the ones you see on the screen,

我們會在白天和晚上隨意地呼叫他們

and we later ask them to recall all the images that they can,

每當我們呼叫他們時

older people, but not younger people,

我們會問幾個問題 --

remember more positive images than negative images.

用1分到七7分來評分，你現在有多開心

We've asked older and younger people to view faces in laboratory studies,

你現在有多難過

some frowning, some smiling.

你現在有多沮喪

Older people look toward the smiling faces and away from the frowning, angry faces.

於是我們可以了解

In day-to-day life, this translates into greater enjoyment and satisfaction.

在日復一日的生活中

But as social scientists, we continue to ask about possible alternatives.

當下他們有何種情感和感覺

We've said, well, maybe older people report more positive emotions

透過這種密集的

because they're cognitively impaired.

個體研究

(Laughter)

我們發現沒有特別一個世代

We've said, could it be

表現得比其它還要好

that positive emotions are simply easier to process than negative emotions,

但是經過時間歷練

and so you switch to the positive emotions?

同一個人相對地會呈現

Maybe our neural centers in our brain

更正面的經驗

are degraded such that we're unable to process negative emotions anymore.

你可以看到年紀很大的時候

But that's not the case.

此曲線微微往下彎曲

The most mentally sharp older adults

即使往下彎曲

are the ones who show this positivity effect the most.

但這曲線不可能回到

And under conditions where it really matters,

你所看到的成人早期時

older people do process the negative information

的水平

just as well as the positive information.

我們不能過分單純地下定論說

So how can this be?

老年人過得很「開心」

Well, in our research,

在我們的研究中，他們較積極

we've found that these changes are grounded fundamentally

但他們比起年輕人

in the uniquely human ability to monitor time --

較能體驗綜合的情緒

not just clock time and calendar time, but lifetime.

體驗開心時同時覺得傷心；

And if there's a paradox of aging,

你懂吧，當你對一個朋友微笑時

it's that recognizing that we won't live forever

眼眶中泛著淚水的感覺

changes our perspective on life in positive ways.

另外一個研究顯示出

When time horizons are long and nebulous, as they typically are in youth,

老年人似乎能更坦然地

people are constantly preparing,

和悲傷共處

trying to soak up all the information they possibly can,

比起年輕人，他們更能接受悲傷

taking risks, exploring.

我們的懷疑是，這可能有助於解釋

We might spend time with people we don't even like

為什麼老年人比年輕人更能

because it's somehow interesting.

解決激烈的情緒衝突和爭論

We might learn something unexpected.

老年人可以用同情心

(Laughter)

而非絕望

We go on blind dates.

來看待不正義

(Laughter)

在一切平等的情況下

You know, after all,

老年人將他們的認知能力

if it doesn't work out, there's always tomorrow.

像是注意力和記憶

People over 50 don't go on blind dates.

導向正面，而非負面的資訊

(Laughter)

如果我們展示影像給老年人、中年人和年輕人

As we age, our time horizons grow shorter and our goals change.

像是你在螢幕上看到的照片

When we recognize that we don't have all the time in the world,

之後我們要求他們

we see our priorities most clearly.

盡可能回想所有的影像

We take less notice of trivial matters.

老年人，而非年輕人

We savor life.

想起的正面影像多於

We're more appreciative,

負面影像

more open to reconciliation.

在實驗室研究中

We invest in more emotionally important parts of life,

我們也要求老年人和年輕人看不同的臉

and life gets better,

有些在皺眉，有些在微笑

so we're happier day-to-day.

老年人看著微笑的臉

But that same shift in perspective

避開皺眉，生氣的臉

leads us to have less tolerance than ever for injustice.

在日復一日的生活中

By 2015,

這些轉變成較多的享受

there will be more people in the United States

和滿足感

over the age of 60 than under 15.

但身為社會科學家，我們持續的問

What will happen to societies that are top-heavy with older people?

其他可能的原因

The numbers won't determine the outcome.

我們想過或

Culture will.

老年人有較正面的情感

If we invest in science and technology

是因為他們認知受損

and find solutions for the real problems that older people face

(笑聲)

and we capitalize on the very real strengths of older people,

我們也想過，有沒有可能

then added years of life can dramatically improve quality of life at all ages.

處理正面情感比負面情感還來的容易

Societies with millions of talented, emotionally stable citizens

所以人們會轉換成正面情感？

who are healthier and better educated than any generations before them,

或許我們腦中的神經中心

armed with knowledge about the practical matters of life

已經退化到

and motivated to solve the big issues

不再能處理負面的情感的程度

can be better societies than we have ever known.

但這些都不是解答

My father, who is 92, likes to say,

愈是思考敏銳的老年人

"Let's stop talking only about how to save the old folks

越能顯示出正面的結果

and start talking about how to get them to save us all."

當處於危急的情況下

Thank you.

老年人會處理負面資訊

(Applause)

像他們處理正面資訊一樣