TED演讲:选择的困惑(8)

 But here's what you're supposed to be thinking. Here's this couple on the Hamptons. 但这是你此时此刻应该想的事。看看汉普顿的这两口子。

Very expensive real estate. Gorgeous beach. Beautiful day. They have it all to themselves. What could be better? 昂贵的富人区，华丽的海滩，阳光明媚，他们拥有这一切。还能比这更好么？

"Well, damn it," this guy is thinking, "It's August. Everybody in my Manhattan neighborhood is away. 这位此时却在想，“哼，真倒霉。现在是八月啊。曼哈顿的邻居们都不在家。

I could be parking right in front of my building." 我要是回去就能把车停到我自己的门前了。”

And he spends two weeks nagged¹ by the idea that he is missing the opportunity, day after day, to have a great parking space. 结果整整两个星期他都被这么个想法折磨着，天天都在念叨失去了占到那个好停车位的机会。

Opportunity costs subtract from the satisfaction we get out of what we choose, even when what we choose is terrific. “机会成本”总是让我们对已经做出的决定不够满意，哪怕这个决定实际上很英明。

And the more options there are to consider, 我们面临的选项越多，

the more attractive features of these options are going to be reflected by us as opportunity costs. Here's another example. 这些选项里吸引人的东西也就越多，这些东西最后都成了机会成本。这又是一个例子。

Now this cartoon makes a lot of points. 这幅漫画说明了好几个问题。

It makes points about living in the moment as well, and probably about doing things slowly. 它也说出了“活在当下”这个道理，也许还包括做事情要一步一步来。

But one point it makes is that whenever you're choosing one thing, 但是，其中一条道理就是，当你选择了做某件事，

you're choosing not to do other things that may have lots of attractive features, and it's going to make what you're doing less attractive. 你同时就选择了不做其它的事，这些其它的事往往会有很多吸引你的地方，并且会削弱你正在做的事对你的吸引力。

Third: escalation² of expectations. This hit me when I went to replace my jeans. I wear jeans almost all the time. 第三点，期望值增高。这点在有一次我去买一条新牛仔裤时对我触动很大。我差不多总是穿牛仔裤。

And there was a time when jeans came in one flavor, and you bought them, and they fit like crap, they were incredibly uncomfortable, 过去，牛仔裤就那一种样式，你买回来，裤子不合适，糟糕透顶，而且非常不舒服，

if you wore them and washed them enough times, they started to feel OK. 直到你把它穿得时间足够长，洗了无数次以后，裤子才变得凑合。

So I went to replace my jeans after years of wearing these old ones, and I said, "I want a pair of jeans. Here's my size." 就这么，穿了这许多年的旧裤子，我终于上街去要买条新的了。我说：“喂，我想要一条牛仔裤，这是我的尺寸。”

And the shopkeeper said, "Do you want slim fit, easy fit, relaxed fit? 店员说：“你要紧身型的，舒适型的，还是宽松型的？

You want button fly or zipper³ fly? You want stonewashed or acid-washed? 前面要扣子的还是拉锁的？石磨的还是酸洗的？

Do you want them distressed⁴? You want boot cut, tapered⁵, blah blah." On and on he went. 要那种快磨破的么？直口的，还是缩口的？”他喋喋不休地问着。

My jaw⁶ dropped. And after I recovered, I said, "I want the kind that used to be the only kind." 我的下巴差点掉下来。等我缓过神来，我问，“我要的是那种曾经是唯一一种的样式。”

1 nagged   

adj.经常遭责怪的；被压制的；感到厌烦的；被激怒的v.不断地挑剔或批评（某人）( nag的过去式和过去分词 )；不断地烦扰或伤害（某人）；无休止地抱怨；不断指责

参考例句：

• The old woman nagged (at) her daughter-in-law all day long. 那老太婆一天到晚地挑剔儿媳妇的不是。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• She nagged him all day long. 她一天到晚地说他。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 escalation   

n.扩大，增加

参考例句：

• The threat of nuclear escalation remains. 核升级的威胁仍旧存在。 来自辞典例句
• Escalation is thus an aspect of deterrence and of crisis management. 因此逐步升级是威慑和危机处理的一个方面。 来自辞典例句

3 zipper   

n.拉链；v.拉上拉链

参考例句：

• The zipper is red.这条拉链是红色的。
• The zipper is a wonderful invention.拉链是个了不起的发明。

4 distressed   

痛苦的

参考例句：

• He was too distressed and confused to answer their questions. 他非常苦恼而困惑，无法回答他们的问题。
• The news of his death distressed us greatly. 他逝世的消息使我们极为悲痛。

5 tapered   

adj. 锥形的，尖削的，楔形的，渐缩的，斜的 动词taper的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• The tail tapered to a rounded tip. 尾部越来越细，最后成了个圆尖。
• The organization tapered off in about half a year. 那个组织大约半年内就逐渐消失了。

6 jaw   

n.颚，颌，说教，流言蜚语；v.喋喋不休，教训

参考例句：

• He delivered a right hook to his opponent's jaw.他给了对方下巴一记右钩拳。
• A strong square jaw is a sign of firm character.强健的方下巴是刚毅性格的标志。