英语时差:"失礼"的科学解释
The Science Of The Faux Pas "Dear Yael and Don: The other night,I was at a party,and one of the people I was talking with was pretty overweight.I was trying to be careful not to say anything affensive,but in suddenly I blurted out something...Is there a scientific explanation for my behaviour?" Y:Good quuestion!There are many possible reasons why we say things out loud we mean to keep to ourselves. But one compelling explanation is that the very act of straining to avoid saying something embarrassing or awkward raises the risk of doing just that. D:Wait,you mean to say that we say things because we are trying too hard to be appropriate? Y:Sort of.Scientists explain it as a struggle between the conscious and unconscious mind.Say you’re at a party and someone near you is smoking. It’s obnoxious, but you don’t want to make a big deal, so you consciously try to think about something else. But meanwhile, your unconscious mind is on the lookout for any smoking related thoughts. D:So even though I'm not trying to think thoughts about smoking,I'm still thinking them. Y:Right,and if you’ve had a bit to drink, or you are tired, or stressed, whatever,an unconscious smoking thought can burble to the conscious surface. And before you know it you blurt out something about how second hand smoke is a deadly killer. D:So,in a sense,we are at the mercy of our unconscious minds? Y:Sometimes. In certain situations, at least, we’re not in total control of what we think, and how we act.
