为什么人们爱听悲伤的音乐(中)

也许，因为悲伤是一种如此强烈的情绪，所以它的存在可以引发积极的共情反应：感受到某人的悲伤能让你以某种亲社会的方式受到感动。

双语精读

Given the layers of emotion and the imprecision of language, it's perhaps no wonder that sad music lands as a paradox. But it still doesn't really explain why it can feel pleasurable or meaningful.

考虑到情感的多重层次和语言的不精确，悲伤的音乐最终成为一种悖论也许就不足为奇了。但这仍然不能真正解释为什么悲伤的音乐让人感到愉悦或有意义。

Some psychologists have examined how certain aspects of music -- mode, tempo, rhythm, timbre -- relate to the emotions listeners feel.

一些心理学家研究了音乐的某些方面--调式、速度、节奏、音色--与听众感受到的情感之间的关系。

Studies have found that certain forms of song serve nearly universal functions: Across countries and cultures, for instance, lullabies tend to share similar acoustic features that imbue infants and adults alike with a sense of safety.

研究发现，某些形式的歌曲几乎具有普遍的功能：例如，在不同的国家和文化中，摇篮曲往往有相似的声学特点，能让婴儿和成年人充满安全感。

"All our lives we've learned to map the relationships between our emotions and what we sound like," said Tuomas Eerola, a musicologist at Durham University in England and a researcher on the "Fifty Shades" study. "We recognize emotional expression in speech, and most of the cues are used similarly in music."

"在一生中，我们学会了把自己的情绪和自己的声音对应起来。"英国杜伦大学的音乐学家图玛斯·埃罗拉说，他也是"五十度蓝"的研究人员，"我们能识别言语中的情感表达，音乐中的大部分信号也有类似的用途。"

Other scientists, including Patrik Juslin, a music psychologist at Uppsala University in Sweden, argue that such findings clarify little about the value of sad music.

其他科学家，包括瑞典乌普萨拉大学的音乐心理学家帕特里克·尤斯林认为，这些研究发现几乎没有解释清楚悲伤音乐的价值所在。

He wrote in a paper, "They simply move the burden of explanation from one level, 'Why does the second movement of Beethoven's Eroica symphony arouse sadness?', to another level, 'Why does a slow tempo arouse sadness?'"

他在一篇论文中写道，"他们只是将解释的重担从一个层面转移到另一个层面，从‘为什么贝多芬的英雄交响曲的第二乐章会引起悲伤？'变成了‘为什么慢速会引起悲伤？'"

Instead, Dr. Juslin and others have proposed that there are cognitive mechanisms through which sadness can be induced in listeners.

相反，尤斯林博士和其他人提出，通过一些认知机制，音乐可以引起听众的悲伤情绪。

Unconscious reflexes in the brain stem; the synchronization of rhythm to some internal cadence, such as a heartbeat; conditioned responses to particular sounds; triggered memories; emotional contagion; a reflective evaluation of the music -- all seem to play some role.

脑干的无意识反射，音乐节奏与身体内部节奏（如心跳）的同步，对特定声音的条件性反应，音乐所触发的记忆，情绪的感染性，对音乐的反思性评估--所有这些似乎都起到了一定的作用。

Maybe, because sadness is such an intense emotion, its presence can prompt a positive empathic reaction: Feeling someone's sadness can move you in some prosocial way.

也许，因为悲伤是一种如此强烈的情绪，所以它的存在可以引发积极的共情反应：感受到某人的悲伤能让你以某种亲社会的方式受到感动。

"You're feeling just alone, you feel isolated," Dr. Knobe said. "And then there's this experience where you listen to some music, or you pick up a book, and you feel like you're not so alone." To test that hypothesis, he, Dr. Venkatesan and George Newman, a psychologist at the Rotman School of Management, set up a two-part experiment.

"你感到很孤单，感到与人隔绝，"诺布博士说，"然后就有了这种体验，你听了一些音乐，或者拿起一本书，然后你觉得自己不是那么孤单了。"为了验证这一假设，他和文卡蒂森博士，以及罗特曼管理学院的心理学家乔治·纽曼，一起设计了一个由两部分组成的实验。

In the first part, they gave one of four song descriptions to more than 400 subjects. One description was of a song that "conveys deep and complex emotions" but was also "technically very flawed."

在第一部分实验中，他们给400多名受试者描述了四首歌曲的其中一首。第一首歌"传达了深刻而复杂的情感"，但也"在技术上存在很大缺陷"。

Another described a "technically flawless" song that "does not convey deep or complex emotions." The third song was described as deeply emotional and technically flawless, and the fourth as technically flawed and unemotional.

第二首歌"技术上无可挑剔，但没有传达深刻或复杂情感"。第三首歌的描述是感情深沉，技术上无可挑剔。第四首歌的描述是技术上有缺陷，且没有感情。

The subjects were asked to indicate, on a seven-point scale, whether their song "embodies what music is all about." The goal was to clarify how important emotional expression in general -- of joy, sadness, hatred or whatever -- was to music on an intuitive level.

受试者被要求以7分制打分，表明这首歌曲是否"体现了音乐的本质"。这样做的目的是弄清楚，在直觉层面上，一般性的情感表达（包括欢乐、悲伤、仇恨等等）对音乐有多重要。

On the whole, subjects reported that deeply emotional but technically flawed songs best reflected the essence of music; emotional expression was a more salient value than technical proficiency.

总体而言，受试者报告说，感情深沉但在技术上有缺陷的歌曲，最能反映音乐的本质，情感表达比技术精湛度有更显著的价值。

词汇预习

emotional [高考]
美[ɪˈmoʊʃənl] | 英[ɪˈməʊʃənl]
adj. 感情的；情绪的
psychologist [高考]
美[saɪˈkɑːlədʒɪst] | 英[saɪˈkɒlədʒɪst]
n.心理学研究者，心理学家
reaction [高考]
美[riˈækʃn] | 英[riˈækʃn]
n. 反应；生理反应；反应能力；复旧；反动；化学反应
evaluation [高考]
美[ɪˌvæljuˈeɪʃn] | 英[ɪˌvæljuˈeɪʃn]
n. 估价；评价
similarly [高考]
美[ˈsɪmələrli] | 英[ˈsɪmələli]
adv. 相似地；类似地
presence [高考]
美[ˈprezns] | 英[ˈprezns]
n. 出席；存在；到场；【生】存在度
scale [高考]
美[skeɪl] | 英[skeɪl]
n. 等级，规模；刻度；音阶；量程；天枰 v. 攀登；到达…顶点；去鳞
rhythm [高考]
美[ˈrɪðəm] | 英[ˈrɪðəm]
n. 节奏；节律；（事件或过程）有规律的反复出现
stem [高考]
美[stem] | 英[stem]
n. 柄；茎；干；船首 vi. 起源于 vt. 抽去 ... 的梗；给 ... 装柄；逆 ... 而行；阻止，遏制
heartbeat [高考]
美[ˈhɑːrtbiːt] | 英[ˈhɑːtbiːt]
n. 心跳；中心；重要特征
cognitive [高考]
美[ˈkɑːɡnətɪv] | 英[ˈkɒɡnətɪv]
adj. 认识的；认知的；有认识力的
internal [高考]
美[ɪnˈtɜːrnl] | 英[ɪnˈtɜːnl]
adj. 国内的；内部的；身内的
arouse [高考]
美[əˈraʊz] | 英[əˈraʊz]
v. 叫醒；唤醒；激起；睡醒
complex [高考]
美[kəmˈpleks , ˈkɑːmpleks] | 英[ˈkɒmpleks]
adj. 复杂的；合成的；复合的 n. 综合体；复合体；[医]综合症状；[心]情结
indicate [高考]
美[ˈɪndɪkeɪt] | 英[ˈɪndɪkeɪt]
v. 指示；象征；显示；暗示，预示 v. 表明；指明
explanation [高考]
美[ˌekspləˈneɪʃn] | 英[ˌekspləˈneɪʃn]
n. 解释；说明
convey [高考]
美[kənˈveɪ] | 英[kənˈveɪ]
vt. 表达；传达；运输；转移
description [高考]
美[dɪˈskrɪpʃn] | 英[dɪˈskrɪpʃn]
n. 描述；刻画；类型；说明书
technical [高考]
美[ˈteknɪkl] | 英[ˈteknɪkl]
adj. 技术的；技能的；工艺的；专门技术的
alike [高考]
美[əˈlaɪk] | 英[əˈlaɪk]
adj. 相似的；同样的 adv. 一样；以同样的方式
clarify [高考]
美[ˈklærəfaɪ] | 英[ˈklærəfaɪ]
vt. 澄清；阐明；净化
no wonder [高考]
美[noʊ ˈwʌndər] | 英[nəʊ ˈwʌndə(r)]
难怪；怪不得
intense [高考]
美[ɪnˈtens] | 英[ɪnˈtens]
adj. 强大的；紧张的；强烈的；激烈的；深刻的
mode [高考]
美[moʊd] | 英[məʊd]
n. 方式，样式，模式，风格，时兴
where [高考]
美[wer] | 英[weə(r)]
adv. 在哪里；在那个地方 conj. 在 ... 地方
prompt [四级]
美[prɑːmpt] | 英[prɒmpt]
v. 促使，导致；鼓励，提示（说话者）；（计算机上）提示；（给演员）提词，提白 adj. 迅速的，立刻的；（人）利索的，敏捷的；及时的，准时的；（商品）即期要送的，即期要付的 n.（给演员的）提词；（计算机屏幕上显示准备接受指令的）提示；鼓励，催促；（付款通知单上的）付款期限 adv.准时地
hatred [四级]
美[ˈheɪtrɪd] | 英[ˈheɪtrɪd]
n. 仇恨；憎恨；敌意；怨恨
essence [四级]
美[ˈesns] | 英[ˈesns]
n. 精髓；本质；要素；香精
technically [四级]
美[ˈteknɪkli] | 英[ˈteknɪkli]
adv. 技术上；学术上；严密地
paradox [四级]
美[ˈpærədɑːks] | 英[ˈpærədɒks]
n. 悖论；似非而是的论点；自相矛盾的话
hypothesis [四级]
美[haɪˈpɑːθəsɪs] | 英[haɪˈpɒθəsɪs]
n. 假说；假设；前提；猜测
flawless [四级]
美[ˈflɔlɪs] | 英[ˈflɔ:ləs]
adj. 完美的；无瑕疵的
learned [四级]
美[lɜːrnd , ˈlɜːrnɪd] | 英[lɜːnd , ˈlɜːnɪd]
adj. 有学问的；博学的
intuitive [六级]
美[ɪnˈtuːɪtɪv] | 英[ɪnˈtjuːɪtɪv]
adj. 直觉的
proficiency [六级]
美[prəˈfɪʃnsi] | 英[prəˈfɪʃnsi]
n. 熟练；精通
tempo [专四]
美[ˈtempoʊ] | 英[ˈtempəʊ]
n. 拍子；节奏；速率
salient [专八]
美[ˈseɪliənt] | 英[ˈseɪliənt]
adj. 突出的；显著的；跳跃的 n. 突出部分
imbue [专八]
美[ɪmˈbjuː] | 英[ɪmˈbjuː]
v. 灌输；使感染；使充满
synchronization [托福]
美[ˌsɪŋkrənaɪ'zeɪʃn] | 英[ˌsɪŋkrənaɪ'zeɪʃn]
n. 同步化
isolated [雅思]
美[ˈaɪsəleɪtɪd] | 英[ˈaɪsəleɪtɪd]
adj. 孤立的；隔离的；分离的

重点讲解

Given the layers of emotion and the imprecision of language, it's perhaps no wonder that sad music lands as a paradox. But it still doesn't really explain why it can feel pleasurable or meaningful.

考虑到情感的多重层次和语言的不精确，悲伤的音乐最终成为一种悖论也许就不足为奇了。但这仍然不能真正解释为什么悲伤的音乐让人感到愉悦或有意义。

land v.

1. 降落；着陆；使着陆

【例】The plane landed safely.

飞机安全着陆了。

The pilot landed the plane safely.

飞行员驾驶飞机安全着陆。

2. 到达，陷入（某种境地）

【例】I landed in hospital with my old back injury.

我因背部旧伤进医院了。

【近义词】end up 以……为结果

3. 成功得到；赢得

【例】land a well-paid job 成功获得一份高薪工作

Some psychologists have examined how certain aspects of music -- mode, tempo, rhythm, timbre -- relate to the emotions listeners feel.

一些心理学家研究了音乐的某些方面--调式、速度、节奏、音色--与听众感受到的情感之间的关系。

tempo n. （乐曲的）速度

【例】We played the music of Mozart at a slow tempo.

我们以慢速演奏了莫扎特的乐曲。

【近义词】speed/pace n. 速度/步行速度；工作或生活节奏

Studies have found that certain forms of song serve nearly universal functions: Across countries and cultures, for instance, lullabies tend to share similar acoustic features that imbue infants and adults alike with a sense of safety.

研究发现，某些形式的歌曲几乎具有普遍的功能：例如，在不同的国家和文化中，摇篮曲往往有相似的声学特点，能让婴儿和成年人充满安全感。

imbue v. 使充满（强烈感情）；灌输（想法）

【例】Her voice was imbued with an unusual seriousness.

她的声音里充满着一种不寻常的严肃语气。

【搭配】imbue sb with/be imbued with

"All our lives we've learned to map the relationships between our emotions and what we sound like," said Tuomas Eerola, a musicologist at Durham University in England and a researcher on the "Fifty Shades" study. "We recognize emotional expression in speech, and most of the cues are used similarly in music."

"在一生中，我们学会了把自己的情绪和自己的声音对应起来。"英国杜伦大学的音乐学家图玛斯·埃罗拉说，他也是"五十度蓝"的研究人员，"我们能识别言语中的情感表达，音乐中的大部分信号也有类似的用途。"

map v.

1. 绘制地图

【例】to map the surface of the moon 绘制月球表面的地图

2. 了解信息（尤其指组织方式）

【例】The findings suggest that children learn these words and map them onto concepts already present.

研究表明，儿童学习了这些单词，然后把单词和头脑中已有的概念联系起来。

Other scientists, including Patrik Juslin, a music psychologist at Uppsala University in Sweden, argue that such findings clarify little about the value of sad music.

其他科学家，包括瑞典乌普萨拉大学的音乐心理学家帕特里克·尤斯林认为，这些研究发现几乎没有解释清楚悲伤音乐的价值所在。

arouse v.

1. 激发，引起（感情或态度）

【例】to arouse one’s interest/curiosity/opposition 引起某人的兴趣/好奇心/反对

2. 唤醒；使行动

【例】The noise aroused me from sleep.

喧闹声把我从睡梦中吵醒。

He wrote in a paper, "They simply move the burden of explanation from one level, ‘Why does the second movement of Beethoven's Eroica symphony arouse sadness?', to another level, ‘Why does a slow tempo arouse sadness?'"

他在一篇论文中写道，"他们只是将解释的重担从一个层面转移到另一个层面，从‘为什么贝多芬的英雄交响曲的第二乐章会引起悲伤？'变成了‘为什么慢速会引起悲伤？'"

arouse v.

1. 激发，引起（感情或态度）

【例】to arouse one’s interest/curiosity/opposition 引起某人的兴趣/好奇心/反对

2. 唤醒；使行动

【例】The noise aroused me from sleep.

喧闹声把我从睡梦中吵醒。

Instead, Dr. Juslin and others have proposed that there are cognitive mechanisms through which sadness can be induced in listeners.

相反，尤斯林博士和其他人提出，通过一些认知机制，音乐可以引起听众的悲伤情绪。

induce v. 引起；导致（生理或心理反应）

【例】The drug can induce sleep.

这种药可以让人昏昏欲睡。

脑干的无意识反射，音乐节奏与身体内部节奏（如心跳）的同步，对特定声音的条件性反应，音乐所触发的记忆，情绪的感染性，对音乐的反思性评估--所有这些似乎都起到了一定的作用。

induce v. 引起；导致（生理或心理反应）

【例】The drug can induce sleep.

这种药可以让人昏昏欲睡。

Maybe, because sadness is such an intense emotion, its presence can prompt a positive empathic reaction: Feeling someone's sadness can move you in some prosocial way.

也许，因为悲伤是一种如此强烈的情绪，所以它的存在可以引发积极的共情反应：感受到某人的悲伤能让你以某种亲社会的方式受到感动。

prosocial adj. 亲社会的

【例】The capacity to notice the distress of others, and to be moved by it, can be a critical component of what is called prosocial behavior, actions that benefit others: individuals, groups or society as a whole.

觉察到他人的痛苦并因此受到感动，这种能力可能是亲社会行为的一个关键组成部分，亲社会行为即对他人有益的行为，“他人”包括个人、群体或整个社会。

【反义词】antisocial adj. 反社会的

"你感到很孤单，感到与人隔绝，"诺布博士说，"然后就有了这种体验，你听了一些音乐，或者拿起一本书，然后你觉得自己不是那么孤单了。"为了验证这一假设，他和文卡蒂森博士，以及罗特曼管理学院的心理学家乔治·纽曼，一起设计了一个由两部分组成的实验。

prosocial adj. 亲社会的

【例】The capacity to notice the distress of others, and to be moved by it, can be a critical component of what is called prosocial behavior, actions that benefit others: individuals, groups or society as a whole.

觉察到他人的痛苦并因此受到感动，这种能力可能是亲社会行为的一个关键组成部分，亲社会行为即对他人有益的行为，“他人”包括个人、群体或整个社会。

【反义词】antisocial adj. 反社会的

In the first part, they gave one of four song descriptions to more than 400 subjects. One description was of a song that "conveys deep and complex emotions" but was also "technically very flawed."

在第一部分实验中，他们给400多名受试者描述了四首歌曲的其中一首。第一首歌"传达了深刻而复杂的情感"，但也"在技术上存在很大缺陷"。

flaw n. 错误；缺点；瑕疵；弱点

【例】Greed is the great flaw in his character.

贪婪是他性格中的一大缺点。

【拓展】flawed/flawless adj. 有缺陷的/完美无缺的

第二首歌"技术上无可挑剔，但没有传达深刻或复杂情感"。第三首歌的描述是感情深沉，技术上无可挑剔。第四首歌的描述是技术上有缺陷，且没有感情。

flaw n. 错误；缺点；瑕疵；弱点

【例】Greed is the great flaw in his character.

贪婪是他性格中的一大缺点。

【拓展】flawed/flawless adj. 有缺陷的/完美无缺的

The subjects were asked to indicate, on a seven-point scale, whether their song "embodies what music is all about." The goal was to clarify how important emotional expression in general -- of joy, sadness, hatred or whatever -- was to music on an intuitive level.

受试者被要求以7分制打分，表明这首歌曲是否"体现了音乐的本质"。这样做的目的是弄清楚，在直觉层面上，一般性的情感表达（包括欢乐、悲伤、仇恨等等）对音乐有多重要。

scale n. 等级；级别

【例】How much do you like the movie on a scale from 1 to 5?

1到5分，你对这个电影的喜爱程度能打几分？

salient adj. 最重要的；显著的；突出的

【例】One of the salient features of the TV series is that the actors all speak dialects.

这部电视剧一个突出特点是，剧里的所有演员都说方言。

On the whole, subjects reported that deeply emotional but technically flawed songs best reflected the essence of music; emotional expression was a more salient value than technical proficiency.

总体而言，受试者报告说，感情深沉但在技术上有缺陷的歌曲，最能反映音乐的本质，情感表达比技术精湛度有更显著的价值。

scale n. 等级；级别

【例】How much do you like the movie on a scale from 1 to 5?

1到5分，你对这个电影的喜爱程度能打几分？

salient adj. 最重要的；显著的；突出的

【例】One of the salient features of the TV series is that the actors all speak dialects.

这部电视剧一个突出特点是，剧里的所有演员都说方言。

课后练习

Researchers like Tuomas Eerola believe that ____.
A. music can be understood by people from different cultures
B. the concrete features of music may explain listeners’ emotions
C. people express their sadness indirectly by listening to sad music
D. people are naturally sensitive to the emotions conveyed by music
The example of Beethoven’s symphony shows that ____.
A. the music samples in some studies are limited
B. some studies have flawed definitions of sad music
C. the methods of some studies need to be improved
D. some researchers fail to tackle the essence of the question
Dr. Juslin holds that the emotional response to sad music ____.
A. relates to a person’s intelligence
B. remains an unsolvable mystery
C. can be explained by mental functions
D. differs depending on the situation
The findings of Dr. Knobe’s experiment show that ____.
A. people use art to get rid of loneliness
B. technical perfection is hard to achieve
C. listeners’ feelings are determined by intuition
D. people value emotions over techniques in music