中英文稿

我相信你已經(jīng)注意到了擺拍?和沒意識到有相機在拍的 人的照片之間的區(qū)別。?趁人不注意的抓拍，?它們通常是這樣的。?這張照片是在倫敦市中心拍的。?人們正值壯年，?但每個人看起來都很 憔悴、沮喪、焦慮。?有些人看起來很生氣。 沒有一絲笑容。?但是，如果你看人們擺拍的照片，?就像這張照片一樣，?他們勾肩搭背。?他們笑。?我想，這就是我們希望 別人看到的，?這就應(yīng)該是我們在一起的樣子。

不幸的是，數(shù)據(jù)告訴了我們 一個不同的故事。?在英國，調(diào)查顯示， 74% 的成年人?感到壓力過大或 不堪重負，無法應(yīng)對，?32% 的人有自殺想法，?16% 的人有過自殘。?在美國，情況非常相似：?79% 的人每天都感到壓力，?近 60% 的人壓力大到麻木。?當(dāng)媒體上出現(xiàn)新的數(shù)據(jù)?展示壓力、抑郁、自殘、?藥物濫用、飲食失調(diào)的程度時，?人們會有什么反應(yīng)??人們只是需要更多的服務(wù)、?更多的心理治療師、更多的 心理學(xué)家、更多的精神科醫(yī)生。?這就好像?受了重傷的時候，?大多數(shù)人都只是想讓更多的 外科醫(yī)生把他們?縫起來， 而不是找出問題所在。

關(guān)鍵問題是: 為什么會發(fā)生這種情況??即使是在富裕國家？?我是一名流行病學(xué)家，?這意味著我的職業(yè)生涯?一直在研究人群健康和 疾病的原因。?我想告訴你們，不平等是導(dǎo)致?更大程度的焦慮、精神痛苦、?不快樂、抑郁的重要來源。?我希望你們回想一下，?當(dāng)你們在別人面前感到焦慮、 尷尬、緊張的時候，?那些社交場合的接觸，?也許是當(dāng)你在演講或?去一個你不認識在場 任何人的派對的時候。?但是，當(dāng)我們面臨被 消極看待的威脅時，?就會產(chǎn)生這些情緒。

這張圖表總結(jié)了數(shù)百項研究，?這些研究讓人們承受 不同種類的壓力，?同時測量他們的應(yīng)激激素變化，?主要是皮質(zhì)醇， 一種中樞應(yīng)激激素。?研究表明，促使應(yīng)激激素 水平上升的主要因素?是所謂的“社會評估威脅”——?對自尊或社會地位的威脅，?來源于別人對你的表現(xiàn)的負面評價。?所以，盡管這些社會壓力 是眾所周知的，?我們都很熟悉，?但人們沒有看到不平等是如何讓 我們所有人的社會壓力變得更糟的。

在這張幻燈片的?底部，你可以看到 不同的收入群體，?從左邊最貧窮的十分之一的人口?到右邊最富有的人。?在上面?是對身份焦慮的統(tǒng)計結(jié)果，?以及人們有多擔(dān)心別人 如何看待和評價自己。?最上面的那條線顯示了 在更不平等的社會中?所有收入群體的身份焦慮水平。?最下面的線顯示了 在更平等的社會中，?身份焦慮的程度要低得多。

我認為我們要處理的問題是， 我們是生活在?一個像這樣非常陡峭的社會階層中，?還是在一個像這樣 非常淺的社會階層中。?我們之間更大的?物質(zhì)差異增加了社會距離、?優(yōu)越感和自卑感，?社會內(nèi)部的社會關(guān)系 會因此產(chǎn)生很大的影響。?地位和階級會變得更加重要。?我們不太可能與不同 階層背景的人結(jié)婚。?社區(qū)生活，就像我說過的， 減少了，而暴力也增加了，?因為暴力是由感覺 被人看不起而觸發(fā)的。?丟面子、不受尊重、羞辱——?這些都是暴力的導(dǎo)火索。?當(dāng)然，對于那些對地位問題 更敏感的人來說，?暴力更容易被觸發(fā)。?消費主義也在上升，?因為我們都在努力 增強自我展示。

各種各樣的社會互動措施?都顯示出整個社會結(jié)構(gòu)在 不平等的情況下變得更加僵化。?社會流動性下降，?與此同時，我們甚至離我們聲稱?要為孩子們提供的 平等機會更遠了。?所以不平等不僅僅是 不公平或貧窮。?它把我們置于社會關(guān)系中，?優(yōu)等和劣等的關(guān)系中。?它把我們從好到壞地排序。?這是一個非常令人反感的過程，?它讓底層的人產(chǎn)生了自卑感。?這讓我們更常通過社會地位 來評價對方，因此，?我們會更擔(dān)心別人 如何看待和評價我們。?對于別人如何看待和評判我們，?有兩種常見的反應(yīng)。?一是你幾乎接受了你的劣等、?自卑、缺乏自信。?你從社交生活中退出， 因為你發(fā)現(xiàn)這一切都太難了，?你變得更容易抑郁。?事實上，越是不平等的社會， 抑郁癥的發(fā)病率就越高。

另一種常見的反應(yīng)幾乎完全相反。?如果你擔(dān)心別人對你的看法， 你就會自我吹捧。?你把夸大自己。 你炫耀自己的能力和成就。?你變得自戀而不是謙虛。?我們在更不平等的社會中 也看到了這一點。?下一個圖表來自一項心理學(xué)家 稱之為“自我提升”的研究。?不同國家的人們被問及?他們認為自己在不同特征上 與普通人相比如何。?這表明，在更不平等的社會中， 人們自我膨脹，?他們認為自己更擅長某事;?他們夸張地表現(xiàn)自己。?他們變得自戀。?好像每個人都覺得 自己開車比一般人好。?這種趨勢在更不平等的 社會中更明顯。

精神疾病在更不平等的 國家也更嚴重，?因為精神疾病往往由與支配和從屬、?優(yōu)劣感有關(guān)的?問題引發(fā)或加劇。?最近有一項針對 36 個 經(jīng)合組織國家（OECD）的研究表明，?這些社會的不平等程度 與 10 種最常見的?精神疾病之間存在緊密聯(lián)系。?我認為最可悲的是， 對幸福和健康的研究，?以及對健康的研究表明，?最重要的決定因素之一?是我們的社會關(guān)系、?我們的社會環(huán)境、?我們的友誼。?這就是不平等造成 最大損害的地方。?為了解決抑郁、焦慮、精神疾病?和自殘的沉重負擔(dān)，?我們必須要做的是減少社會中?使我們彼此分離的不平等程度。?在某種意義上，不平等 是我們之間的敵人。

I'm sure you've noticed the difference between posed photographs?and pictures taken of people who are unaware of the camera.?The pictures where people are unaware --?they often look like this.?This picture was taken in central London.?People in the prime of life,?and yet everyone there looks haggard, depressed, anxious.?Some of them look quite angry. Not a smile to be seen.?And yet, if you look at pictures of people posed,?they put their arms around each other,?as in this picture.?They smile.?That's, I think, how we'd like to be seen,?how we think we should be together.

Unfortunately, the data tells a different story.?In the UK, surveys have shown that 74 percent of adults?have felt so stressed or overwhelmed and unable to cope,?32 percent have had suicidal thoughts,?16 percent have actually self-harmed.?In the USA, the picture's very similar:?79 percent felt stressed every day,?and almost 60 percent have felt paralyzed by stress.?When there are new figures that come out in the media?showing levels of stress, depression, self-harm,?drug abuse, eating disorders,?what's the response??It's simply to demand more services,?more psychotherapists, more psychologists, more psychiatrists.?It's as if a large majority of the population?were being seriously injured?and instead of finding out what’s going wrong,?we simply want more surgeons to stitch them up.

The crucial question we must ask is: Why is this happening??Why even in rich countries??I'm an epidemiologist,?which means I've spent my career doing research?on the causes of health and illness in populations.?And I want to show you that inequality is a really powerful cause?of higher levels of anxiety and mental distress,?unhappiness, depression.?I'd like you to cast your minds back?to when you've felt anxious, embarrassed, nervous in front of other people,?the social exposure,?maybe when you're making a speech?or going to a party where you don't know anyone.?But all sorts of situations where we face the threat of being seen negatively?cause these sorts of emotions.

This graph is a summary of hundreds of studies?of exposing people to different kinds of stress?while measuring what happens to their stress hormones,?principally cortisol, a central stress hormone.?And what it shows is that what most pushes up our levels of stress hormones?are what is called "social evaluative threat" --?threats to self-esteem or social status,?where others can negatively judge your performance.?So although these social stresses are widely recognized?and we're all familiar with them,?people fail to see how inequality makes them worse for all of us.

In this slide,?along the bottom, you've got different income groups,?from the poorest tenth of the population on the left?to the richest on the right.?And up the side,?you've got a measure of status anxiety,?how worried people are about how they're seen and judged by others.?The top line shows levels of status anxiety across all income groups?in the more unequal societies.?And the bottom line shows the much lower levels of status anxiety?in the more equal societies.

I think what we're dealing with is whether we live in societies?with a very steep social hierarchy like that,?or a much shallower one like that.?If you like: bigger material differences between us?increase the social distances?and those feelings of superiority and inferiority,?and that makes a big difference to social relationships within society.?Status and class become more important.?We're less likely to marry people with a different class background.?Community life, as I've said, drops away, and violence also goes up,?because violence is triggered by people feeling looked down on.?Loss of face, disrespected, humiliated --?those are the triggers of violence.?And of course, for people who are more sensitive to status issues,?violence is triggered more often.?Consumerism also goes up,?because we're all trying to enhance our self-presentation.

All sorts of measures of social interaction?show the whole social structure becoming more ossified with inequality.?Social mobility goes down,?and with that, we're even further away from the equal opportunities?which we claim to be trying to provide for children.?So inequality isn't just about unfairness or poverty.?It puts us in social relationships,?relationships of superiority and inferiority.?It ranks us from better to worse.?It's a really invidious process,?and it creates those feelings of inferiority at the bottom.?It makes us judge each other more by social status, and with that,?we become more worried about how we are seen and judged by others.?There are two common responses?to feeling so worried about how we're seen and judged.?One is that you almost accept your inferiority,?low self-esteem, lack of confidence.?You withdraw from social life because you find it all too difficult,?and you become more vulnerable to depression.?And indeed, rates of depression are higher in more unequal societies.

The other common response is almost exactly the opposite.?If you're worried about what people think of you, you talk yourself up.?You big yourself up. You flaunt your abilities and achievements.?You become narcissistic instead of modest.?We see that, too, in more unequal societies.?This next graph is from a study of what psychologists call self-enhancement.?People in different countries are asked?how they think they compare to the average on different characteristics.?And what it shows is, in more unequal societies, people big themselves up,?They think they're better at things;?they present themselves in an exaggerated way.?They become narcissistic.?It's like everyone thinking they're better drivers than average.?That tendency is greater in more unequal societies.

Mental illness is also worse in more unequal countries,?because mental illness is often triggered or exacerbated?by issues to do with dominance and subordination,?superiority and inferiority.?There was a recent study of the 36 OECD countries?showing a tight correlation between levels of inequality in those societies?and the 10 most common mental disorders.?I think the saddest part of this is that studies of happiness and well-being,?studies of health, too,?show that one of the most important determinants?is the quality of our social relationships,?our social environment,?our friendships.?And that is where inequality does its greatest damage.?To address this heavy burden of depression, anxiety,?mental illness, self-harm,?what we have to do is reduce the levels of inequality in society?that divide us from each other.?Inequality is, in a sense, the enemy between us.

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