(单词翻译:单击)
Our work suggests that simply being part of a positive, prosocial interaction is meaningful beyond whatever it is a person receives. People understand that cupcakes can make folks feel good, to be sure, but it turns out that cupcakes given in kindness can make them feel surprisingly good.
我们的工作表明,仅仅参与积极的、亲社会的互动就比一个人收到的任何东西更有意义
When someone is thinking primarily about the tasty treat they are giving away, they may not realize that the warmth of that gesture is an extra ingredient that can make the cupcake even sweeter.
当某人主要考虑他们赠送的美味佳肴时,他们可能没有意识到本身这个善举的温暖就是一种额外的配料,一种使纸杯蛋糕变得更甜的配料
Missing the importance of warmth may stand in the way of being kinder in daily life. People generally want to perform kind actions--in fact, many of our participants noted that they'd like to do so more often. But our data suggest that underestimating the impact of one's actions may reduce the likelihood of kindness. If people undervalue this impact, they might not bother to carry out these warm, prosocial behaviors.
忽视温暖的重要性可能会妨碍在日常生活中表现得更友善
Furthermore, the consequences of these acts may go beyond a single recipient: kindness can be contagious. In another experiment, we had people play an economic game that allowed us to examine what are sometimes called "pay it forward" effects.
此外,这些行为的后果可能会影响不止一个接受者:善意可以传染
In this game, participants allocated money between themselves and a person whom they would never meet. People who had just been on the receiving end of a kind act gave substantially more to an anonymous person than those who had not. Meanwhile the person who performed the initial act did not recognize that their generosity would spill over in these downstream interactions.
在这场博弈中,参与者在他们自己和一个他们永远不会见面的人之间分配金钱
These findings suggest that what might seem small when we are deciding whether or not to do something nice for someone else could matter a great deal to the person we do it for. Given that these warm gestures can enhance our own mood and brighten the day of another person, why not choose kindness when we can?
这些发现表明,当我们决定是否为别人做点好事时,看似微不足道的事情对我们善意行为接受的人来说却意义重大