【BBC六分钟英语】我们能相信我们的第一印象吗？
【英文脚本】
Neil
Welcome to 6 Minute English, the programme where we explore an interesting topic and bring you six bits of useful vocabulary. I’m Neil.
Rob
And I’m Rob. Today we’re talking about first impressions – and how they’re often wrong.
Neil
So let’s start with the term first impression – it’s the idea or opinion you have about someone after meeting them for only a short time.
Rob
It’s very natural to make a quick judgement about someone based on their appearance or facial expression.
Neil
We’re going to be hearing about the research of Professor Alexander Todorov from Princeton University in the US. First, a question: how long does he say it takes to form an impression about someone’s face? a) Under one second b) one second c) six seconds
Rob
I’ll go for b) one second.
Neil
Well, we’ll find out if you’re right or not at the end of the programme.
Rob
So – Alexander Todorov has been researching our impressions. His tests asked people to decide whether they thought faces were dominant, competent, trustworthy or extroverted.
Neil
Let’s just look at those words for a second. Dominant means being strongest or most important. Competent means being able to do things.
Rob
While if you’re trustworthy it means people trust you – you are worth their trust. And being extroverted means you are energetic and enjoy spending time with others.
Neil
So what did he find out? Faces that look happy and feminine – like a woman - were rated as more trustworthy.
Rob
While faces that were more masculine – like a man – were seen as more dominant.
Neil
Wider faces with big eyes were seen as more extroverted.
Rob
Now the important thing that Todorov says is that these judgements aren’t accurate. Someone who looks competent isn’t necessarily competent!
Neil
So, what does this mean in practice? Here’s Professor Todorov:
Professor Alexander Todorov, Princeton University
Trustworthiness, dominance and attractiveness are the three big things that we form impressions of people. But interestingly we have done some work predicting the electoral success of politicians, and the judgement that is most predictive of who is going to win the election is perceived competence. And this is not random at all, because if you ask voters what is the most important attribute of a politician, competence is the one on the top.
Neil
OK, so this is actually quite significant. People say that the most important attribute – or quality – for a politician is competence – the ability to do things.
Rob
That sounds fair enough. But because we make judgements based on appearance – this can actually affect how people vote.
Neil
If voters believe – or perceive someone to be competent – they’re more likely to vote for him or her.
Rob
He says this applies especially to people who are less educated about politics – they are more likely to be influenced by appearance.
Neil
He says this applies to around 25% of voters – so the number of people who go with their gut is large enough to influence the outcomes of elections!
Rob
Wow. To go with your gut. That means to make a decision which isn’t based on rational thought – it’s based on instinct, on a feeling, on your gut.
Neil
Yes – your gut is your stomach and the organs in your belly. So, can we tell nothing from a person’s face?
Rob
Todorov says faces carry useful information about things like a person’s mental state, and whether they’re tired or sick. But they don’t tell you about a person’s character.
Neil
Indeed. It’s not only elections where this counts, we also judge during job interviews and meetings.
Rob
So what can we do to minimise the chances of being affected – should we just close our eyes when we meet people?
Neil
Well, it’s not such a bad idea! There’s the example of the Boston Symphony Orchestra – back in the 1950s it was entirely made up of male musicians. They then introduced ‘blind auditions’ in other words they listened to new musicians without looking at them.
Rob
And what happened – I guess many more women were selected?
Neil
Exactly – around 50%. Of course, gender and race are also huge factors in how we perceive faces. Todorov says we tend to react most positively to faces that look like our own.
Rob
Right, well – I guess we just need to take a deep breath and try not to judge too much.
Neil
Easier said than done, I’m afraid. Especially when we judge so quickly! But do we do it in under a second, one second or six seconds?
Rob
I said one second.
Neil
According to Todorov it takes under one second.
Rob
I think it’s safe to say it’s very fast. So shall we quickly go through today’s vocabulary?
Neil
Ok – first up: first impression – the first judgement you make about something. What was your first impression of me, Rob?
Rob
Well I thought you were very trustworthy and extroverted.
Neil
Well isn’t that convenient, (and accurate?!), because those were exactly the two adjectives I wanted to look at next. Being trustworthy is important in life – it means people trust you…
Rob
And being extroverted is more of a character type – extroverts like to be with people, and are often seen as confident – whereas the opposite – introverts, usually need to spend time on their own, and aren’t as loud.
Neil
Both of these are interesting attributes – or qualities. You could say that mathematical ability is an essential attribute for an engineer.
Rob
And competence is the number one attribute for a politician. Although people don’t always vote depending on actual competence, they base it on their perception.
Neil
What they see, or perceive, as competence. ‘Perceived competence’ might be different from actual competence!
Rob
Yes, in many situations we tend to go with our guts. We make decisions based on deep feelings. Do you do that, Neil?
Neil
Yes, some things you can think about too much. When I left my last job, I really just went with my gut – it felt like the right thing to do.
Rob
Of course – because it meant coming to work here with me!
Neil
Naturally. So – that’s it for our chat about first impressions – for more do visit our Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube pages, and of course our website!
Rob
Bye for now.
Both
Bye!
【中英文双语脚本】
Neil(尼尔)
Welcome to 6 Minute English, the programme where we explore an interesting topic and bring you six bits of useful vocabulary. I’m Neil.
欢迎来到六分钟英语，在这个节目中，我们将探索一个有趣的话题，并为您带来六个有用的词汇。我是 Neil。
Rob(罗伯)
And I’m Rob. Today we’re talking about first impressions – and how they’re often wrong.
我是 罗伯。今天我们讨论的是第一印象 – 以及它们通常是错误的。
Neil(尼尔)
So let’s start with the term first impression – it’s the idea or opinion you have about someone after meeting them for only a short time.
因此，让我们从第一印象一词开始 —— 它是您在与某人见面仅很短一段时间后对他们的想法或看法。
Rob(罗伯)
It’s very natural to make a quick judgement about someone based on their appearance or facial expression.
根据某人的外表或面部表情对他们做出快速判断是很自然的。
Neil(尼尔)
We’re going to be hearing about the research of Professor Alexander Todorov from Princeton University in the US. First, a question: how long does he say it takes to form an impression about someone’s face? a) Under one second b) one second c) six seconds
我们将听到美国普林斯顿大学 Alexander Todorov 教授的研究。首先，一个问题：他说需要多长时间才能对某人的脸形成印象？a） 不到 1 秒 b） 1 秒 c） 6 秒
Rob(罗伯)
I’ll go for b) one second.
我会选择 b） 一秒钟。
Neil(尼尔)
Well, we’ll find out if you’re right or not at the end of the programme.
好吧，我们会在计划结束时发现你是对还是错。
Rob(罗伯)
So – Alexander Todorov has been researching our impressions. His tests asked people to decide whether they thought faces were dominant, competent, trustworthy or extroverted.
所以 - 亚历山大·托多罗夫 （Alexander Todorov） 一直在研究我们的印象。他的测试要求人们决定他们认为面孔是占主导地位的、有能力的、值得信赖的还是外向的。
Neil(尼尔)
Let’s just look at those words for a second. Dominant means being strongest or most important. Competent means being able to do things.
让我们看看这些词。支配意味着最强或最重要的。称职意味着能够做事。
Rob(罗伯)
While if you’re trustworthy it means people trust you – you are worth their trust. And being extroverted means you are energetic and enjoy spending time with others.
而如果你值得信赖，那就意味着人们信任你 —— 你值得他们信任。外向意味着你精力充沛，喜欢与他人共度时光。
Neil(尼尔)
So what did he find out? Faces that look happy and feminine – like a woman - were rated as more trustworthy.
那么他发现了什么呢？看起来快乐和女性化的面孔 - 就像一个女人 - 被评为更值得信赖。
Rob(罗伯)
While faces that were more masculine – like a man – were seen as more dominant.
而更男性化的面孔 —— 比如男人 —— 则被认为更具主导地位。
Neil(尼尔)
Wider faces with big eyes were seen as more extroverted.
宽脸大眼睛被认为更外向。
Rob(罗伯)
Now the important thing that Todorov says is that these judgements aren’t accurate. Someone who looks competent isn’t necessarily competent!
现在，Todorov 说的重要一点是这些判断并不准确。看起来有能力的人不一定能胜任！
Neil(尼尔)
So, what does this mean in practice? Here’s Professor Todorov:
那么，这在实践中意味着什么呢？这是托多罗夫教授：
Professor Alexander Todorov, Princeton University(普林斯顿大学AlexanderTodorov教授)
Trustworthiness, dominance and attractiveness are the three big things that we form impressions of people. But interestingly we have done some work predicting the electoral success of politicians, and the judgement that is most predictive of who is going to win the election is perceived competence. And this is not random at all, because if you ask voters what is the most important attribute of a politician, competence is the one on the top.
可信度、支配地位和吸引力是我们形成人们印象的三大因素。但有趣的是，我们已经做了一些工作来预测政治家的选举成功，而最能预测谁将赢得选举的判断是感知能力。这根本不是随机的，因为如果你问选民政治家最重要的特质是什么，能力就是最重要的那个。
Neil(尼尔)
OK, so this is actually quite significant. People say that the most important attribute – or quality – for a politician is competence – the ability to do things.
好的，这实际上非常重要。人们说，政治家最重要的特质或品质是能力 —— 做事的能力。
Rob(罗伯)
That sounds fair enough. But because we make judgements based on appearance – this can actually affect how people vote.
这听起来很公平。但是因为我们根据外表做出判断 —— 这实际上会影响人们的投票方式。
Neil(尼尔)
If voters believe – or perceive someone to be competent – they’re more likely to vote for him or her.
如果选民相信 —— 或认为某人有能力 —— 他们就更有可能投票给他或她。
Rob(罗伯)
He says this applies especially to people who are less educated about politics – they are more likely to be influenced by appearance.
他说，这尤其适用于对政治了解较少的人 —— 他们更有可能受到外表的影响。
Neil(尼尔)
He says this applies to around 25% of voters – so the number of people who go with their gut is large enough to influence the outcomes of elections!
他说，这适用于大约 25% 的选民 —— 因此，凭直觉行事的人数足以影响选举结果！
Rob(罗伯)
Wow. To go with your gut. That means to make a decision which isn’t based on rational thought – it’s based on instinct, on a feeling, on your gut.
哇。跟你的直觉走。这意味着做出的决定不是基于理性思考 —— 而是基于直觉、感觉和直觉。
Neil(尼尔)
Yes – your gut is your stomach and the organs in your belly. So, can we tell nothing from a person’s face?
是的 - 你的肠道就是你的胃和你腹部的器官。那么，我们能从一个人的脸上看不出任何东西吗？
Rob(罗伯)
Todorov says faces carry useful information about things like a person’s mental state, and whether they’re tired or sick. But they don’t tell you about a person’s character.
Todorov 说，面孔携带着关于一个人的精神状态以及他们是否疲倦或生病等有用的信息。但它们不会告诉你一个人的性格。
Neil(尼尔)
Indeed. It’s not only elections where this counts, we also judge during job interviews and meetings.
事实上。这不仅对选举很重要，我们还在求职面试和会议上进行评判。
Rob(罗伯)
So what can we do to minimise the chances of being affected – should we just close our eyes when we meet people?
那么，我们能做些什么来尽量减少受到影响的机会 —— 我们是否应该在与人见面时闭上眼睛呢？
Neil(尼尔)
Well, it’s not such a bad idea! There’s the example of the Boston Symphony Orchestra – back in the 1950s it was entirely made up of male musicians. They then introduced ‘blind auditions’ in other words they listened to new musicians without looking at them.
嗯，这并不是一个坏主意！波士顿交响乐团就是一个例子 —— 在 1950 年代，它完全由男性音乐家组成。然后，他们引入了“盲选”，换句话说，他们听新音乐家的声音而不看他们。
Rob(罗伯)
And what happened – I guess many more women were selected?
然后发生了什么 —— 我猜有更多的女性被选中了？
Neil(尼尔)
Exactly – around 50%. Of course, gender and race are also huge factors in how we perceive faces. Todorov says we tend to react most positively to faces that look like our own.
确切地说 – 大约 50%。当然，性别和种族也是我们感知面孔的重要因素。Todorov 说，我们往往对长得像自己的面孔做出最积极的反应。
Rob(罗伯)
Right, well – I guess we just need to take a deep breath and try not to judge too much.
对，好吧 —— 我想我们只需要深呼吸，尽量不要评判太多。
Neil(尼尔)
Easier said than done, I’m afraid. Especially when we judge so quickly! But do we do it in under a second, one second or six seconds?
恐怕说起来容易做起来难。尤其是当我们这么快就做出判断的时候！但是，我们应该在一秒、一秒还是六秒内完成呢？
Rob(罗伯)
I said one second.
我说一秒钟。
Neil(尼尔)
According to Todorov it takes under one second.
根据 Todorov 的说法，它只需要不到一秒钟。
Rob(罗伯)
I think it’s safe to say it’s very fast. So shall we quickly go through today’s vocabulary?
我认为可以肯定地说它非常快。那么，我们应该快速浏览一下今天的词汇吗？
Neil(尼尔)
Ok – first up: first impression – the first judgement you make about something. What was your first impression of me, Rob?
好的 – 首先： 第一印象 – 您对某事做出的第一个判断。罗伯，你对我的第一印象如何？
Rob(罗伯)
Well I thought you were very trustworthy and extroverted.
嗯，我觉得你非常值得信赖和外向。
Neil(尼尔)
Well isn’t that convenient, (and accurate?!), because those were exactly the two adjectives I wanted to look at next. Being trustworthy is important in life – it means people trust you…
嗯，这不是很方便吗，（而且准确？！），因为这正是我接下来想看的两个形容词。值得信赖在生活中很重要 —— 这意味着人们信任你……
Rob(罗伯)
And being extroverted is more of a character type – extroverts like to be with people, and are often seen as confident – whereas the opposite – introverts, usually need to spend time on their own, and aren’t as loud.
外向更像是一种性格类型 —— 外向的人喜欢和人在一起，而且经常被视为自信 —— 而相反 —— 内向的人通常需要花时间独处，而且不会那么吵闹。
Neil(尼尔)
Both of these are interesting attributes – or qualities. You could say that mathematical ability is an essential attribute for an engineer.
这两个都是有趣的特质 —— 或者说品质。可以说，数学能力是工程师的基本品质。
Rob(罗伯)
And competence is the number one attribute for a politician. Although people don’t always vote depending on actual competence, they base it on their perception.
能力是政治家的首要属性。尽管人们并不总是根据实际能力投票，但他们是基于自己的感知。
Neil(尼尔)
What they see, or perceive, as competence. ‘Perceived competence’ might be different from actual competence!
他们看到或感知到的能力。“感知能力”可能与实际能力不同！
Rob(罗伯)
Yes, in many situations we tend to go with our guts. We make decisions based on deep feelings. Do you do that, Neil?
是的，在许多情况下，我们倾向于随心所欲。我们根据深厚的感受做出决定。你这样做吗，尼尔？
Neil(尼尔)
Yes, some things you can think about too much. When I left my last job, I really just went with my gut – it felt like the right thing to do.
是的，有些事情你可以考虑太多。当我离开上一份工作时，我真的只是凭直觉去做 —— 感觉这是正确的事情。
Rob(罗伯)
Of course – because it meant coming to work here with me!
当然 - 因为这意味着要来这里和我一起工作！
Neil(尼尔)
Naturally. So – that’s it for our chat about first impressions – for more do visit our Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube pages, and of course our website!
自然。所以 - 这就是我们关于第一印象的聊天 - 有关更多信息，请访问我们的 Facebook、Twitter、Instagram 和 YouTube 页面，当然还有我们的网站！
Rob(罗伯)
Bye for now.
再见。
Both(双)
Bye!
再见！
【核心词汇】
first impression
the idea or opinion of someone or something you make after a very short time
第一印象
你在极短时间内对某人或某事的想法或观点
It’s important to make a good first impression.
留下一个好的第一印象是很重要的。
trustworthy
able to be trusted
值得信赖的
能够被信任的
He was regarded as a trustworthy and efficient worker.
他被认为是值得信赖和高效的员工。
extroverted
(of a person) happy and enjoying being with others
外向的
（指人）快乐并喜欢与他人相处
She is an extroverted, sociable girl.
她是一个外向、善于交际的女孩。
attributes
qualities
属性，特质
品质
Patience is one of the most important attributes in a teacher.
耐心是教师最重要的品质之一。
perception
opinion based on how things appear
看法， 认知
基于事物表象的观点
These advertisements are designed to alter our perception of beauty.
这些广告旨在改变我们对美的认知。
to go with your gut
make a decision based on feelings
凭直觉行事
根据感觉做决定
I had a gut feeling that something was wrong.
我有一种直觉，觉得事情不太对劲。
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