"Success addicts" choose being special over being happy
對成功“上癮”的人，寧愿放棄快樂，也要活得特別
Though it isn't a conventional medical addiction, for many people success has addictive properties. To a certain extent, praise stimulates the neurotransmitter dopamine, which is implicated in all addictive behaviors.
雖然“成功”并不屬于傳統意義上的醫學成癮癥，但對很多人來說，它具備一些讓人上癮的特性。從某種程度上說，人們的贊美刺激了神經遞質多巴胺的分泌，而多巴胺正是所有成癮行為背后的“元兇”。
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The desire for success may be inherent to human nature, but specialness doesn't come cheap. Success is brutal work, and it requires sacrifices. In the 1980s, the physician Robert Goldman famously found that more than half of aspiring athletes would be willing to take a drug that would kill them in five years in exchange for winning every competition they entered.
對成功的渴望可能是人類與生俱來的，然而，想成為特殊的存在并沒有那么容易。成功是一項殘酷的勞動，它要求人們作出犧牲。上世紀 80 年代，羅伯特·戈德曼醫生的一則發現世人皆知：有半數以上胸懷壯志的運動員，都愿意服用一種藥物，以換取他們所參加的每場比賽的勝利。這種藥物能在五年內，致人于死地。
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Unfortunately, success is Sisyphean. The goal can't be satisfied; most people never feel "successful enough." The high only lasts a day or two, and then it's on to the next goal. Psychologists call this the hedonic treadmill, in which satisfaction wears off almost immediately and we must run on to the next reward to avoid the feeling of falling behind.***
不幸的是，成功是永無止境的。最終的目標難以實現，大多數人永遠都不會覺得自己“足夠成功”。成功帶來的興奮感只會持續一兩天，然后（人們）就會開始追逐下一個目標。心理學家稱這樣的現象為“享樂跑步機”，在這個過程中，滿足感幾乎立刻就會消失，我們必須跑向下一個“獎賞”，才不會覺得自己已經落后于他人。
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People should get off the treadmill. But quitting isn't easy for addicts. For people hooked on substances, withdrawal can be an agonizing experience, both physically and psychologically.
人們應該從這種“跑步機”上下來，但對上癮的人來說，放棄并不是件易事。對于那些吸毒成癮的人而言，戒毒的過程對身、心都是一種痛苦的經歷。
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A research finds that depression and anxiety are common among elite athletes after their careers end. Olympic athletes, in particular, suffer from the "post-Olympic blues."
一項研究發現，精英運動員在職業生涯結束之后，普遍會感到抑郁和焦慮。尤其是參加奧運會的運動員，他們備受“奧運后憂郁癥”的困擾。
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Success in and of itself is not a bad thing, any more than wine is a bad thing. Both can bring fun and sweetness to life. But both become tyrannical when they are a substitute for — instead of a complement to — the relationships and love that should be at the center of our lives.
成功本身并不是一件壞事，正如葡萄酒也不全然是不好的東西，兩者都能給生活帶來快樂和甜蜜。但當它們成為我們生命中的核心——人際關系與愛的替代品，而不是補給品時，它們就會展露出殘暴的猙獰面孔。
主編：Eein
品控：Pita
審核：夏天
Photo credit:
By Jynto (talk) - Own work, created with Discovery Studio Visualizer., CC0
重點詞匯
addict
/??d.?kt/
n. 對……入迷的人，……迷
詞根詞綴：-aholic（表示“……迷”）
相關詞匯：success-aholic
搭配短語：shopping addicts
同義詞：shopaholic
搭配短語：chocolate addicts
同義詞：chocaholic
conventional
/k?n?ven.??n.?l/
adj. 傳統的，常規的；墨守成規的，因循守舊的
近義詞：traditional
property
/?prɑ?.p?.t?i/
n. 特性，特質；財產，資產
近義詞：quality
搭配短語：a herb with healing properties
stimulate
/?st?m.j?.le?t/
v. 刺激，使（身體，生物系統）興奮
近義詞：encourage
搭配短語：stimulate the economy
搭配短語：stimulate the interest / passion
neurotransmitter
/?n?r.o?.tr?ns?m?t?.?/
n. 神經遞質
詞根詞綴：neuro-（表示“與神經有關的”）
相關詞匯：neuroscience
相關詞匯：transmitter（n. 傳遞者）
相關詞匯：transmit（v. 傳輸，傳遞）
implicate
/??m.pl?.ke?t/
v. 說明（某物）導致（不好或有害的事）；涉及，牽連
搭配短語：sb. be implicated in sth.
例句：He was implicated in a scandal.
例句：Viruses are implicated in the development of some cancers.
sth. come cheap
某物能以低價買到（一般出現在否定句中）
英文釋義：to be available at a low price
例句：These chairs don't come cheap.
brutal
/?bru?.t??l/
adj. 野蠻的，殘忍的
英文釋義：very cruel and violent
搭配短語：a brutal murderer
搭配短語：a brutal murder
aspiring
/??spa?r.??/
adj. 有抱負的，有志向的
相關詞匯：aspire（v. 渴望，有志于……）
例句：I aspire to be a teacher.
high
/ha?/
n. 興奮感
英文釋義：a feeling of great happiness or excitement
反義詞：low
搭配短語：the emotional highs and lows
hedonic
/hi??dɑ?.n?k/
adj. 享樂的，快樂的
英文釋義：of or relating to pleasure
treadmill
/?tred.m?l/
n. 跑步機
相關詞匯：tread（v. 踩，踏）
相關詞匯：mill（n. 磨粉機；機器）
wear off
（感覺等）逐漸消失，消逝
英文釋義：gradually disappears
例句：The drug wears off.
例句：The pain wears off.
hook
/h?k/
v. 吸引，迷住；鉤住……
詞性拓展：hook（n. 鉤子）
例句：I was hooked by their humor.
搭配短語：be hooked on
近義詞：be addicted to
substance
/?s?b.st?ns/
n. 毒品；物質，本質
withdrawal
/w?e?drɑ?.?l/
n. 戒毒（過程）
相關詞匯：withdraw（v. 撤銷，撤回；戒毒）
agonizing
/??ɡ.?.na?.z??/
adj. 令人痛苦的，折磨人的
相關詞匯：agony（n. 極大的痛苦）
英文釋義：very severe pain
相關詞匯：agonize（v. 感到極其痛苦，受折磨）
搭配短語：to agonize over the problem
elite
/i?li?t/
adj. 精英的，最優秀的
詞性拓展：elite（n. 精英）
blues
/blu?z/
n. 憂郁，悲傷，沮喪；布魯斯音樂（藍調音樂）
英文釋義：feelings of sadness or depression
tyrannical
/t??r?n.?.k?l/
adj. 殘暴的，專制的
搭配短語：a tyrannical emperor
搭配短語：a tyrannical government
substitute
/?s?b.st?.tu?t/
n. 替代品
詞性拓展：substitute（v. 替代）
例句：Apples will substitute / complement the dessert.
complement
/?kɑ?m.pl?.ment/
n. 補足物，補充
詞性拓展：complement（v. 補足，與……相輔相成）
例句：Apples will substitute / complement the dessert.
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