閱讀筆記＆雜思：詹姆斯．克利爾《三十天養成好習慣》【第八課】
- 此系列內容來自詹姆斯．克利爾的免費郵件課程，使用其著作《Atomic Habits 原子習慣》的理論基礎，旨在30天內提供以下的資訊：
Ｖ 消除習慣養成中可能產生的任何疑問
Ｖ 獲得採取行動所需的工具與策略
Ｖ 學習任何習慣養成都能適用的架構 - 這章節提到回饋機制的是《原子習慣》及許多神經內外科／心理學書籍常常強調的概念，James Clear提到「人會因一個行為帶來的感覺選擇是否重複它」，其概念讓我聯想到馬雅．安傑洛（Maya Angelou）說的：「人們會忘記你說過的話、忘記你做過的事， 但絕不會忘記你曾帶給他們的感覺。」
同樣的，人事物給我們帶來的感覺，都會讓我們是否重蹈覆徹——有趣的是，人卻常重現負面的情緒召喚，或者童年逆境體驗。誠如這系列課程一在提到的「你的任何行為都在形塑你是個怎麼樣的人」，這種重複行為顯得很反理智，我覺得是很有趣的議題。
How to Create a Reward that Makes Habits Satisfying
如何建立令人滿足的習慣獎勵回饋機制
Lesson 8 of 11
第八堂課
How to Create a Reward that Makes Habits Satisfying
如何建立令人滿足的習慣獎勵回饋機制
The vital thing in getting a habit to stick is to feel successful—even if it’s in a small way. The feeling of success is a signal that tells your brain that the habit paid off and that it was worth the effort.
This is why the reward is a key aspect of habit formation. It is the feeling that comes with a reward – pleasure, satisfaction, enjoyment – that closes the feedback loop and teaches your brain which behaviors to remember for next time.
要堅持一個習慣的關鍵要素在於成就感——就算是細微之處。成就感是告訴你大腦投入這個習慣能獲得值回票價的信號。
這也是回饋機制成為習慣構成要點的原因。這些因回饋而來的感覺——愉悅感、滿足感、享受——與回饋循環環環相扣，教育你的大腦記住哪些行為下一次有幫助。
In the first seven lessons, we’ve talked about how to make your habits easy, obvious, and attractive.
In this lesson, we’re going to discuss some strategies for closing the feedback loop on your habits in a positive and enjoyable way. In other words, we’re going to discuss how to create an effective reward that makes your habits satisfying.
在前面七堂課，我們談過如何將你的習慣變得更容易從事、顯而易見，並且具吸引力。
這堂課我們將會討論一些策略，以正向與令人享受的方式為你的習慣建立閉鎖回饋機制。換句話說，我們將討論如何建立讓你的習慣令人心滿意足的有效回饋。
One of my favorite examples comes from a group of city engineers in Stockholm, Sweden.
These engineers laid a series of sensors across a set of stairs in the subway and decorated them to resemble a giant set of piano keys. When pedestrians walked up the stairs, musical tones played from nearby speakers. Suddenly, using the stairs was fun and surprising. Each step was accompanied with a musical note. Motivated by the immediate satisfaction of making music as they walked, 66 percent more people took the stairs as they exited the subway rather than riding the escalator nearby.
This type of immediate feedback is a powerful factor in getting habits to stick. The more immediately satisfying a habit is, the more likely it will be repeated in the future.
我最喜歡的範例之一，來自一群瑞典斯德哥爾摩的程式工程師。
這些工程師在地鐵站的階梯上安裝了一系列的感應器，並且將它們裝飾成像是巨大鋼琴琴鍵的樣子。當行人走上階梯時，附近的音響就會播出樂聲。忽然之間，走樓梯變成一件很有趣且令人驚喜的事情，每一步都有對應的音階；而受到這種行走間演奏音樂的即即滿足感驅使，百分之六十六的人覺得走樓梯搭地鐵，要比搭手扶梯來得令人興奮。
這種即時回饋是讓習慣得以堅持下去的有利因素，該習慣帶來的即時滿足越多，人越可能在未來重複這個行為。
I am reminded of a popular story about a prank that college students played on their professor. As the story goes, the professor was known for “talking with his hands” and making lots of gestures while explaining concepts to students.
On the first day of the semester, a few students met amongst themselves and agreed that, whenever the professor raised his arms while talking, the students would nod their heads and smile approvingly at whatever he said. The students followed through on their plan and, by the end of the term, the professor was gesticulating with such vigor that his arms were flailing wildly throughout the entire lecture.
一個大學生對他們教授惡作劇的知名故事總是給我警醒。
那故事是這麼說的：有個教授以「和他的手說話」聞名，在課堂上也常用各種手勢對學生解釋概念。
在學期的第一天，一些學生商量好，每當教授舉起雙手時，無論說的是什麼，他們都會微笑著點頭。學生們按照說好的那樣做，而當學期結束時，教授幾乎整堂課都在瘋狂揮舞著手臂，活力四射地比劃著手勢。
We learn which behaviors to repeat based on how they make us feel. When we take an action that feels good—like a professor looking at a room full of students smiling and nodding—we want to do more of that action in the future. In Atomic Habits, I refer to this as “The Cardinal Rule of Behavior Change”: What is rewarded gets repeated. What is punished is avoided.
我們從中學到，人會因一個行為帶來的感覺選擇是否重複它。當採取會讓我們感覺愉快的行動時——就像看著一整個教室對他微笑點頭的學生——我們在未來就會想要做更多同樣的事。在《原子習慣》中，我將之稱為「行為改變的基本原則」：人會重覆受獎勵的行為，並避免會遭受懲罰的行為。
Receiving these immediate rewards is particularly crucial during the early stages of forming a habit.
Early on, it’s all sacrifice. You’ve gone to the gym a few times, but you’re not stronger or fitter or faster—at least, not in any noticeable sense. It’s only months later, once you shed a few pounds or your arms gain some definition, that it becomes easier to exercise for its own sake. In the beginning, you need a short-term reason to stay on track. This is why immediate rewards are essential. They keep you excited while the delayed rewards accumulate in the background.
在建立習慣的初期，獲得這些即時回饋是格外重要的。
在早期階段，這都是犧牲。你去了健身房幾次，但你不會這麼快變得強壯、瘦身有成或跑得更快——至少，不及你能注意到的程度。但只要幾個月後，當你減下幾磅的體重，或者你的手臂有了些肌肉，運動本身就變得容易許多。在最一開始，你需要短期理由來維持走在正軌上，這也是即時回饋必須存在的原因，它們使延遲回饋在暗地裡累積時，仍讓你保持對於這個行為的興奮感。
What we’re really talking about here—when we’re discussing immediate rewards—is the ending of a behavior. The ending of any experience is vital because we tend to remember it more than other phases. You want the ending of your habit to be satisfying – watching your favorite TV show after going for a challenging run, taking a bubble bath after deep cleaning the kitchen, going to your favorite coffee shop after waking up without hitting snooze. You want a reward for a job well done.
我們在這裡說的是——當我們在討論即時回饋的時候——行為的結果。任何體驗的結果都很重要，因為我們傾向記得一件事的結果，而不是過程。你希望你習慣的結果是令人滿意的——在一段充滿挑戰性的長跑後看你最喜歡的電視劇、在廚房大掃除後泡個泡泡浴、起床沒有賴床時去你最喜歡的咖啡廳。你總是希望做好一件事時，能得到回報。
Create an external reinforcer that aligns with your desired identity
- Walk in the woods for retirement savings (identity = freedom and control of time)
- Bubble bath for exercise habit (identity = taking care of your body)
- Every time you skip going out to dinner, transfer $50 to an account labeled “Trip to Europe”
創造一個能與你渴望的自我認同一致的外部補強因子：
- 存好退休存款就去森林散步（身份認同＝獲得自由與時間的掌控感）
- 運動後泡個泡泡浴（身份認同＝照顧你的身體）
- 每次你避開上館子吃晚餐時，就轉50美金到「歐洲之行」的戶頭
Of course, it would be best if we didn’t need these external rewards to maintain motivation. In a perfect world, the reward for a good habit is the habit itself. In the real world, however, good habits tend to feel worthwhile only after they have provided you with something. External rewards are one of the best strategies we have for maintaining motivation while we’re waiting for those long-term outcomes to arrive.
當然，如果我們不需要額外的獎勵來維持動力是最好。在理想的世界裡，一個好習慣的獎勵應當是習慣本身；但在現實世界中，唯有好習慣給你什麼實質的回報時，才讓人感覺是值得的。外部獎勵機制是我們在長期目標達成的等待期中，能用以維持動力的最佳策略之一。
However, there’s a crucial detail that should not be overlooked. If you’re not careful, the external reward can become the thing you end up chasing. A student only studies so they can get their allowance, rather than for the sake of learning. An employee only makes sales calls to fulfill a quota, not to serve customers and grow the business. The key is to not lose sight of your desired identity, and whenever possible, to choose an external reward that reinforces the type of person you wish to be. You want to avoid rewards that conflict with your desired identity.
然而，還有一個關鍵細節不應該被輕忽，如果你不夠小心，這外部獎勵機制會變成你最後追著跑的東西。學生只會為了獲得零用錢而讀書，不是為了學習東西；員工只會為了達到績效而打銷售電話，不是為了服務客戶或拓展業務。重點在於別忘了你渴望的自我認同，而是只要有可能，選用正確的外部獎勵機制強化你想要成為的那種人。你希望避免那些讓你與渴望的自我認同相悖的獎勵。
Buying a new jacket is fine if you’re trying to lose weight or read more books, but it doesn’t work if you’re trying to budget and save money. You’re casting one vote for being a saver, and another for being a spender. Instead, taking a bubble bath or going on a leisurely walk are good examples of rewarding yourself with free time, which aligns with your ultimate goal of more freedom and financial independence.
當你想要減重或多閱讀時，買一件新的夾克外套不是壞事，但它沒辦法幫你估計預算或省點錢。你一個行為可能是為了成為儲蓄者，但於另外一個行為而言，可能是個花費者。反之，泡個泡泡浴或去散散步，都是在閒暇時間犒勞你自己的好方法，因為那都同你自由與經濟獨立的終極目標具有一致性。
Similarly, if your reward for exercising is eating a bowl of ice cream, then you’re casting votes for conflicting identities, and it ends up being a wash. Instead, maybe your reward should be a weekly massage, which is both a luxury and a vote toward taking care of your body. Now the short-term reward is aligned with your long-term vision of being a healthy person.
同樣地，如果你運動完的獎勵是吃一碗冰淇淋，那你就是在塑造具有衝突的自我認同，最後成為一個無止盡的迴圈。反過來說，可能你的獎勵是一週按摩一次，那就會給你的身體帶來舒壓與奢華的雙重享受。現在短期獎勵與你想要變成一個健康的人的長期願景已達到一致。
Eventually, as intrinsic rewards like a better mood, more energy, and reduced stress kick in, you’ll become less concerned with chasing the secondary reward. The identity itself becomes the reinforcer. You do it because it’s who you are and it feels good to be you. The more a habit becomes part of your life, the less you need outside encouragement to follow through.
Incentives can start a habit. Identity sustains a habit.
That said, it takes time for the evidence to accumulate and a new identity to emerge. Immediate reinforcement helps maintain motivation in the short term while you’re waiting for the long-term rewards to arrive.
最終，當像是好心情、更精力充沛、舒壓等等的固有獎勵開始讓你有感，你就比較不會對追求第二回饋感到焦慮，因為自我認同會成為強化因子，你這麼做是因為你是這樣的人，而且你喜歡這樣的自己。當習慣越成為你生活的一部分，你需要來自外部鼓勵來遵行的需求就越少。
誘因開始一個習慣的建立，身份維繫一個習慣的建立。
即時強化幫助我們在短時間維持動力，以等待長期回饋到來。
That's all for Lesson 8. See you in the next lesson,
James Clear
Author of Atomic Habits and keynote speaker
這就是第八課的全部了，期待下一堂課再見。
詹姆斯．克利爾
《原子習慣》作者與keynote講者
Progress Check-In
At this stage, you have had a specific and actionable small habit to follow for a few weeks. If you’ve had trouble sticking to it, finding a way to make the reward or ending satisfying can be a good way to stay on track. The strategies in this lesson should give you the tools and strategies you need to make any habit more satisfying in the moment.
Helpful bonuses and downloads
- Workbook – This 18-page PDF includes an action checklist (including templates for key strategies) for each lesson of the course, plus lesson summaries and a key terms dictionary.
- Examples Database – The examples database is a Google Sheet of 140+ examples of how to implement each strategy covered in this course for dozens of different habits.
References and further reading
- For more on making a habit more satisfying, see Chapter 15 of Atomic Habits.
章節回顧
在這個階段，你這幾週應該已經從事了幾回具體且可行的小習慣，如果你在堅持下去有困難，找個配套獎勵或令人滿足的結果會是一個維持正軌的好方式。這堂課提到的策略應該可以提供你一些必要的工具和方式，讓你將任何習慣都變得更讓人心滿意足。
能幫上忙的可下載資源
- Temptation Bundling template – 用這個範本寫下你的習慣的誘惑捆綁法吧。
- Workbook – 這是一份18頁的PDF檔，內容包括一份每一堂課的行動檢查表（內有關鍵策略的範本），加上課程統整與專有名詞辭典。
- Examples Database – 這是一個內有超過140個策略應用實例的Google表單，每個策略都適用於數十種不同的習慣培養。
參考資料與其他文本
- 如何讓習慣變得更令人滿意的詳細說明，請參見《原子習慣》第15章
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