俗話說(shuō)“氣能傷人”,。夫妻要和睦,吵架不過(guò)夜,。同樣,,生氣的時(shí)候別開車,別給人發(fā)電子郵件,,也別在網(wǎng)上亂發(fā)帖子,。不過(guò)生氣也并非全然沒有好處,特別是在工作中,。最近,,有一項(xiàng)研究測(cè)試了人在不同情緒狀態(tài)下執(zhí)行解謎和快速反應(yīng)等任務(wù)時(shí)的表現(xiàn),結(jié)果發(fā)現(xiàn),,生氣有時(shí)甚至?xí)岣呷说墓ぷ鞅憩F(xiàn),。
這項(xiàng)研究發(fā)表在最新一期的《人格與心理學(xué)雜志》(Journal of Personality and Psychology)雜志上。該研究表明,,憤怒比其他情緒更能夠有效地幫助人完成高挑戰(zhàn)性的任務(wù),。
美國(guó)得克薩斯農(nóng)工大學(xué)(Texas A&M University)的心理學(xué)與腦科學(xué)教授希瑟·蘭奇指出:“各種研究都表明,當(dāng)人們處于憤怒狀態(tài)時(shí),,他們會(huì)更容易實(shí)現(xiàn)目標(biāo),。”并表示“這一點(diǎn)絕對(duì)也適用于工作場(chǎng)合,?!?/p>
在一項(xiàng)測(cè)試?yán)铮芯咳藛T在引發(fā)了受試者的某一種情緒(憤怒,、興奮,、高興或悲傷)后,要求受試者立即做猜字謎游戲,,結(jié)果發(fā)現(xiàn),,處于憤怒情緒下的受試者的解謎效率要高于處于其他情緒的受試者,并且比處于平和情緒狀態(tài)的受試者還要高出40%,。不過(guò)這種效果只體現(xiàn)在了那些較難的字謎中,,而在解簡(jiǎn)單字謎時(shí)則沒有明顯區(qū)別,。
在其他幾起測(cè)試?yán)铮幱趹嵟榫w的受試者在玩視頻游戲的過(guò)程中更容易避開游戲里的障礙物,,因?yàn)閼嵟s短了他們的反應(yīng)時(shí)間,。另外,人在處于憤怒時(shí)還更有可能避免損失,。比如如果你告訴受試者,,他們可能就會(huì)承受某種經(jīng)濟(jì)損失,那么憤怒的受試者更有可能采取行動(dòng),,例如寫信投訴鬧事,,從而減輕自己的損失。再比如,,如果受試者對(duì)某次選舉的結(jié)果不滿,,那么他們?cè)诤罄m(xù)選舉中參加投票的幾率就會(huì)顯著增加。
蘭奇解釋道,,這些發(fā)現(xiàn)與心理學(xué)上的憤怒理論是一致的,。
“當(dāng)你擁有的與你想要的不一致時(shí),你就會(huì)感到憤怒,,你會(huì)發(fā)現(xiàn)有什么東西在擋著你的路,。”她說(shuō),,“而憤怒會(huì)調(diào)動(dòng)你的身體,,讓你集中起更高的注意力,這些有助于我們解決這些不一致之處,,并且?guī)椭覀兊玫较胍臇|西,。”
生氣的好處
越來(lái)越多的研究表明,,憤怒有時(shí)會(huì)帶來(lái)意想不到的好處,。2010年的一項(xiàng)研究發(fā)現(xiàn),如果受試者在一個(gè)產(chǎn)生創(chuàng)意的任務(wù)中得到憤怒反饋,,則會(huì)刺激他想出更多和更有創(chuàng)造性的點(diǎn)子,。更早的研究也表明,在談判中表現(xiàn)出明顯的憤怒,,對(duì)談判者是有好處的,一旦對(duì)手發(fā)現(xiàn)你真的發(fā)怒了,,他們就更愿意做出讓步(前提是你必須真的發(fā)怒了,,研究表明,如果你是在假裝發(fā)怒,,對(duì)方基本上是不會(huì)上當(dāng)?shù)模?/p>
憤怒也是一種強(qiáng)大的動(dòng)力,,它可以給人帶來(lái)改變現(xiàn)狀的推動(dòng)力,。英國(guó)的人生導(dǎo)師娜塔莉·特賴斯在接受報(bào)紙《Metro》采訪時(shí)表示,憤怒是身體給你發(fā)出的一個(gè)信號(hào),,它是在催促你對(duì)某件事情采取行動(dòng),,不管這件事情是“小A偷了你的牛奶,小B開會(huì)總是遲到,,還是小C搶了你的功勞,。”
2019年,,知名動(dòng)畫片導(dǎo)演布拉德·伯德曾經(jīng)在TED的《Work Life》播客里談道,,當(dāng)年他加盟皮克斯工作室(Pixar)時(shí),他專門去找了一些之前遭遇過(guò)事業(yè)失敗的動(dòng)畫師加入他的團(tuán)隊(duì),。他說(shuō):“我就是想找那些心懷不滿的人,,因?yàn)樗麄冇懈玫淖鍪路椒ǎ宜麄兌加袘巡挪挥龅母杏X,?!闭沁@些人最終制作出了轟動(dòng)一時(shí)的電影《超人總動(dòng)員》(The Incredibles),這部電影與皮克斯工作室早期的電影截然不同,,成為了當(dāng)時(shí)最受歡迎的電影,。
就像英國(guó)廣播公司(BBC)在十年前報(bào)道過(guò)的那樣,世界上很多知名企業(yè)之所以能夠成功,,跟它們總是憋著一股打敗對(duì)手的火不無(wú)關(guān)系,。例如彪馬(Puma)和阿迪達(dá)斯(Adidas)這兩個(gè)全球知名的運(yùn)動(dòng)品牌,最早原本是一家企業(yè),,后來(lái)因?yàn)閯?chuàng)辦它的那對(duì)德國(guó)兄弟鬧崩了,,分家各立山頭、互相較勁,,才各自有了今天的輝煌,。再看看里德·黑斯廷斯,他有一次欠了影視租賃連鎖公司Blockbuster公司40美元的滯納金,,這家公司店大欺客的傲慢,,讓他決定創(chuàng)辦Netflix去干翻它。還有Uber的創(chuàng)始人特拉維斯·卡拉尼克,,有一天深夜,,他在舊金山怎么也打不上出租車,一怒之下,,他便想到了用手機(jī)叫網(wǎng)約車這個(gè)點(diǎn)子,。
當(dāng)然,并非所有的憤怒反應(yīng)都是積極的。蘭奇的另一項(xiàng)測(cè)試顯示,,人在憤怒的時(shí)候,,會(huì)更容易采取作弊手段。所以不難看出,,在一些高壓力的工作領(lǐng)域,,這種傾向會(huì)帶來(lái)負(fù)面效應(yīng),因?yàn)橛行┬袠I(yè)員工的薪酬是與績(jī)效掛鉤的,,但同時(shí)卻缺乏有效的監(jiān)管(對(duì)此,,無(wú)數(shù)金融欺詐案件都是例證)。
而且過(guò)度憤怒很可能導(dǎo)致員工直接被公司解雇,。畢竟大多數(shù)公司一聽到員工的憤怒言論,,或者覺得員工有暴力傾向,就會(huì)毫不猶豫地炒了他的魷魚,。
蘭奇指出,,有鑒于此,要想在工作中真正有效地利用憤怒這種情緒,,關(guān)鍵在于如何引導(dǎo)它,。如果你的目標(biāo)是完成某項(xiàng)特定的任務(wù),比如完成一個(gè)研究項(xiàng)目,,這個(gè)項(xiàng)目有一個(gè)“攔路虎”,,例如對(duì)某個(gè)政策的熟悉度,那么憤怒這種情緒可能就會(huì)有效幫助你完成任務(wù),。另一方面,,蘭奇也指出:“如果你的目標(biāo)是讓你的老板覺得你干得很好,那么打壓其他同事就未必可以幫助你實(shí)現(xiàn)你的目標(biāo),?!?/p>
當(dāng)今社會(huì),人們把快樂(lè)看得高于一切,,但蘭奇等人的研究卻提醒了我們,,即便是所謂的“負(fù)面”情緒也是有其存在的意義的。
該研究指出:“憤怒經(jīng)常被認(rèn)為是一種需要控制或者需要調(diào)整的情緒,,人們甚至愿意花錢以避免體驗(yàn)這種感覺,。”但這項(xiàng)研究卻表明,,雖然我們更喜歡那些“積極”的情緒,,但“消極”的情緒有時(shí)對(duì)于解決問(wèn)題是更有效的。
該研究認(rèn)為:“并不是說(shuō)有些情緒是有益的,、有些情緒是有害的,,而是人的情緒就像一把瑞士軍刀,,會(huì)有不同的工具來(lái)滿足不同的需求,不同的情緒是適合用來(lái)解決不同的具體問(wèn)題的,。”(財(cái)富中文網(wǎng))
譯者:樸成奎
俗話說(shuō)“氣能傷人”,。夫妻要和睦,,吵架不過(guò)夜。同樣,,生氣的時(shí)候別開車,,別給人發(fā)電子郵件,也別在網(wǎng)上亂發(fā)帖子,。不過(guò)生氣也并非全然沒有好處,,特別是在工作中。最近,,有一項(xiàng)研究測(cè)試了人在不同情緒狀態(tài)下執(zhí)行解謎和快速反應(yīng)等任務(wù)時(shí)的表現(xiàn),,結(jié)果發(fā)現(xiàn),生氣有時(shí)甚至?xí)岣呷说墓ぷ鞅憩F(xiàn),。
這項(xiàng)研究發(fā)表在最新一期的《人格與心理學(xué)雜志》(Journal of Personality and Psychology)雜志上,。該研究表明,憤怒比其他情緒更能夠有效地幫助人完成高挑戰(zhàn)性的任務(wù),。
美國(guó)得克薩斯農(nóng)工大學(xué)(Texas A&M University)的心理學(xué)與腦科學(xué)教授希瑟·蘭奇指出:“各種研究都表明,,當(dāng)人們處于憤怒狀態(tài)時(shí),他們會(huì)更容易實(shí)現(xiàn)目標(biāo),?!辈⒈硎尽斑@一點(diǎn)絕對(duì)也適用于工作場(chǎng)合?!?/p>
在一項(xiàng)測(cè)試?yán)?,研究人員在引發(fā)了受試者的某一種情緒(憤怒、興奮,、高興或悲傷)后,,要求受試者立即做猜字謎游戲,結(jié)果發(fā)現(xiàn),,處于憤怒情緒下的受試者的解謎效率要高于處于其他情緒的受試者,,并且比處于平和情緒狀態(tài)的受試者還要高出40%。不過(guò)這種效果只體現(xiàn)在了那些較難的字謎中,,而在解簡(jiǎn)單字謎時(shí)則沒有明顯區(qū)別,。
在其他幾起測(cè)試?yán)铮幱趹嵟榫w的受試者在玩視頻游戲的過(guò)程中更容易避開游戲里的障礙物,,因?yàn)閼嵟s短了他們的反應(yīng)時(shí)間,。另外,人在處于憤怒時(shí)還更有可能避免損失。比如如果你告訴受試者,,他們可能就會(huì)承受某種經(jīng)濟(jì)損失,,那么憤怒的受試者更有可能采取行動(dòng),例如寫信投訴鬧事,,從而減輕自己的損失,。再比如,如果受試者對(duì)某次選舉的結(jié)果不滿,,那么他們?cè)诤罄m(xù)選舉中參加投票的幾率就會(huì)顯著增加,。
蘭奇解釋道,這些發(fā)現(xiàn)與心理學(xué)上的憤怒理論是一致的,。
“當(dāng)你擁有的與你想要的不一致時(shí),,你就會(huì)感到憤怒,你會(huì)發(fā)現(xiàn)有什么東西在擋著你的路,?!彼f(shuō),“而憤怒會(huì)調(diào)動(dòng)你的身體,,讓你集中起更高的注意力,,這些有助于我們解決這些不一致之處,并且?guī)椭覀兊玫较胍臇|西,?!?/p>
生氣的好處
越來(lái)越多的研究表明,憤怒有時(shí)會(huì)帶來(lái)意想不到的好處,。2010年的一項(xiàng)研究發(fā)現(xiàn),,如果受試者在一個(gè)產(chǎn)生創(chuàng)意的任務(wù)中得到憤怒反饋,則會(huì)刺激他想出更多和更有創(chuàng)造性的點(diǎn)子,。更早的研究也表明,,在談判中表現(xiàn)出明顯的憤怒,對(duì)談判者是有好處的,,一旦對(duì)手發(fā)現(xiàn)你真的發(fā)怒了,,他們就更愿意做出讓步(前提是你必須真的發(fā)怒了,研究表明,,如果你是在假裝發(fā)怒,,對(duì)方基本上是不會(huì)上當(dāng)?shù)模?/p>
憤怒也是一種強(qiáng)大的動(dòng)力,它可以給人帶來(lái)改變現(xiàn)狀的推動(dòng)力,。英國(guó)的人生導(dǎo)師娜塔莉·特賴斯在接受報(bào)紙《Metro》采訪時(shí)表示,,憤怒是身體給你發(fā)出的一個(gè)信號(hào),它是在催促你對(duì)某件事情采取行動(dòng),,不管這件事情是“小A偷了你的牛奶,,小B開會(huì)總是遲到,,還是小C搶了你的功勞?!?/p>
2019年,,知名動(dòng)畫片導(dǎo)演布拉德·伯德曾經(jīng)在TED的《Work Life》播客里談道,當(dāng)年他加盟皮克斯工作室(Pixar)時(shí),,他專門去找了一些之前遭遇過(guò)事業(yè)失敗的動(dòng)畫師加入他的團(tuán)隊(duì),。他說(shuō):“我就是想找那些心懷不滿的人,因?yàn)樗麄冇懈玫淖鍪路椒?,而且他們都有懷才不遇的感覺?!闭沁@些人最終制作出了轟動(dòng)一時(shí)的電影《超人總動(dòng)員》(The Incredibles),,這部電影與皮克斯工作室早期的電影截然不同,成為了當(dāng)時(shí)最受歡迎的電影,。
就像英國(guó)廣播公司(BBC)在十年前報(bào)道過(guò)的那樣,,世界上很多知名企業(yè)之所以能夠成功,跟它們總是憋著一股打敗對(duì)手的火不無(wú)關(guān)系,。例如彪馬(Puma)和阿迪達(dá)斯(Adidas)這兩個(gè)全球知名的運(yùn)動(dòng)品牌,,最早原本是一家企業(yè),后來(lái)因?yàn)閯?chuàng)辦它的那對(duì)德國(guó)兄弟鬧崩了,,分家各立山頭,、互相較勁,才各自有了今天的輝煌,。再看看里德·黑斯廷斯,,他有一次欠了影視租賃連鎖公司Blockbuster公司40美元的滯納金,這家公司店大欺客的傲慢,,讓他決定創(chuàng)辦Netflix去干翻它,。還有Uber的創(chuàng)始人特拉維斯·卡拉尼克,有一天深夜,,他在舊金山怎么也打不上出租車,,一怒之下,他便想到了用手機(jī)叫網(wǎng)約車這個(gè)點(diǎn)子,。
當(dāng)然,,并非所有的憤怒反應(yīng)都是積極的。蘭奇的另一項(xiàng)測(cè)試顯示,,人在憤怒的時(shí)候,,會(huì)更容易采取作弊手段。所以不難看出,,在一些高壓力的工作領(lǐng)域,,這種傾向會(huì)帶來(lái)負(fù)面效應(yīng),,因?yàn)橛行┬袠I(yè)員工的薪酬是與績(jī)效掛鉤的,但同時(shí)卻缺乏有效的監(jiān)管(對(duì)此,,無(wú)數(shù)金融欺詐案件都是例證),。
而且過(guò)度憤怒很可能導(dǎo)致員工直接被公司解雇。畢竟大多數(shù)公司一聽到員工的憤怒言論,,或者覺得員工有暴力傾向,,就會(huì)毫不猶豫地炒了他的魷魚。
蘭奇指出,,有鑒于此,,要想在工作中真正有效地利用憤怒這種情緒,關(guān)鍵在于如何引導(dǎo)它,。如果你的目標(biāo)是完成某項(xiàng)特定的任務(wù),,比如完成一個(gè)研究項(xiàng)目,這個(gè)項(xiàng)目有一個(gè)“攔路虎”,,例如對(duì)某個(gè)政策的熟悉度,,那么憤怒這種情緒可能就會(huì)有效幫助你完成任務(wù)。另一方面,,蘭奇也指出:“如果你的目標(biāo)是讓你的老板覺得你干得很好,,那么打壓其他同事就未必可以幫助你實(shí)現(xiàn)你的目標(biāo)?!?/p>
當(dāng)今社會(huì),,人們把快樂(lè)看得高于一切,但蘭奇等人的研究卻提醒了我們,,即便是所謂的“負(fù)面”情緒也是有其存在的意義的,。
該研究指出:“憤怒經(jīng)常被認(rèn)為是一種需要控制或者需要調(diào)整的情緒,人們甚至愿意花錢以避免體驗(yàn)這種感覺,?!钡@項(xiàng)研究卻表明,雖然我們更喜歡那些“積極”的情緒,,但“消極”的情緒有時(shí)對(duì)于解決問(wèn)題是更有效的,。
該研究認(rèn)為:“并不是說(shuō)有些情緒是有益的、有些情緒是有害的,,而是人的情緒就像一把瑞士軍刀,,會(huì)有不同的工具來(lái)滿足不同的需求,不同的情緒是適合用來(lái)解決不同的具體問(wèn)題的,?!保ㄘ?cái)富中文網(wǎng))
譯者:樸成奎
Conventional wisdom says to never go to bed angry with your partner. Also, don’t drive angry, send angry emails and definitely don’t post on the internet angry. But anger can help you, sometimes and in particular ways, at the office. It might even make you better at your job, suggests a new study that tested angry people in different emotional states performing tasks that required puzzle-solving and rapid-response skills.
The study, published in the latest issue of the Journal of Personality and Psychology, indicates that anger can help people accomplish challenging tasks more effectively than other emotions.
“Across studies, when people were angry, they did better at attaining their goal,” said lead author Heather Lench, a professor of psychological and brain sciences at Texas A&M University, who added that she definitely thinks this “is applicable to work.”
In one test, researchers asked study subjects to solve word puzzles after inducing an emotional state (anger, arousal, amusement, or sadness); the participants who were angry solved more puzzles than any of the others — and showed a nearly 40% improvement over those in the neutral condition. The effect was only apparent for challenging puzzles, however; there was no benefit to being angry in tests involving simple puzzles.
In other tests, angry study subjects were better at avoiding obstacles in a video game, because the anger shortened their reaction time. Elsewhere, participants who were told they would take a financial hit were more likely to try to prevent it if they were angry, such as by signing a petition, and participants outraged over the results of an election were more likely to vote in subsequent elections.
These findings align with one theory of anger, Lench explained.
“We feel angry when there’s a difference between what we want and what we have, and there’s an obstacle in our way,” she said. “The responses that are part of anger—physical arousal, higher attention—should help us resolve that discrepancy, and should help us get what we want.”
The bright side of anger
Lench’s findings add to a growing body of research showing that anger can sometimes have unexpected benefits. Getting angry feedback on an idea-generating task spurred participants to come up with more, and more creative, ideas, a 2010 study found. Older research has shown that showing visible anger in negotiations can pay off for the indignant party: Their counterpart is more willing to make concessions when facing someone who’s genuinely angry (but only real anger will work—study participants weren’t fooled when the angry party was faking it.)
Anger can be a powerful motivator, giving the push someone needs to change the status quo. It’s a signal from your body to act on something, U.K.-based life coach Natalie Trice told the newspaper Metro — whether that something is “Tina stealing your milk, John always being late for meetings, or Kate taking credit for your work.”
When director and animator Brad Bird joined Pixar, he specifically sought out frustrated animators who had run into roadblocks at previous jobs to join his team, Bird told TED’s Work Life podcast in 2019. “I want people who are disgruntled because they have a better way of doing things and they are having trouble finding an avenue,” he said. They ended up creating the blockbuster film The Incredibles, a radical departure from Pixar’s earlier films and its biggest hit at the time.
Some of the best-known businesses in the world have been driven by anger of rivalry, as the BBC reported nearly a decade ago. Take Puma and Adidas, global sportswear brands founded by two German brothers who had a falling out that spilled into business. Or look at Reed Hastings, who once racked up $40 in late fees at video-rental chain Blockbuster, and whose simmering annoyance was one of the factors that drove him to start Netflix. Then there’s Uber creator Travis Kalanick, whose idea for a fleet of taxis people could summon from their phones came out of his frustration at being unable to find a cab in San Francisco one late night.
To be sure, not all reactions to anger are positive: Anger can also make people more prone to cheating, as another of Lench’s tests showed. It’s not hard to see how that would be a liability in high-pressure fields where workers are paid based on performance and oversight is lacking (as any number of indictments for financial fraud indicate.)
And too much anger, of course, can be a quick route to being fired, with most companies moving fast to dismiss workers for an angry comment or muttered threat they deem violent.
So the key to using anger effectively on the job is to direct it, Lench said. For instance, if your goal is to succeed at a specific task, like finishing a research project, and there’s a specific obstacle preventing it, like knowledge of a policy, anger might well help you accomplish that task. On the other hand, said Lench, “If your goal is, say, to look good in front of the boss, sabotaging another coworker would not help you get there.”
In a society that prizes happiness above nearly everything else, the research from Lench and her coauthors offers a reminder that even so-called “negative” emotions have purpose.
Anger “is frequently discussed as an emotion that should be regulated or controlled,” they write, “so much so that people will pay money to avoid experiencing it.” This paper, though, adds to a body of research that shows that, while we may prefer more “positive” emotions, using “negative” ones can be more effective.
“[I]t is not that some emotions are beneficial and some are harmful,” they write, but that, “much like a Swiss army knife that includes different tools to address different needs, different emotions are best suited to solve specific problems.”