In her new Books, The 21st Century Brain, scientist Hannah Critchlow explores the overlooked skills that will Isn't necessary to flourish in the age of AI – and how we could cultivate them.
在她的新书《21世纪的大脑》中，科学家汉娜·克里奇洛探讨了那些被忽视、却是在人工智能时代蓬勃发展所必需的技能，以及我们如何培养这些技能。
With the world around us evolving at an ever-greater pace, you may fantasise about upgrading your brain to make sense of it all.
随着我们周围的世界以越来越快的速度演变，你可能会幻想升级自己的大脑，好理解这一切。
At face value, this would seems impossible: our grey-and-white matter has largely the same structure as that of our ancestors living in the Stone Age.
乍看之下，这似乎不可能：我们大脑的灰质和白质结构，在很大程度上与生活在石器时代的祖先相同。
If anything, our brains are a bit smaller: archaeological remains suggest they having significantly shrunk in the past 10,000 years.
真要说有什么变化的话，我们的大脑反而小了一点：考古遗存表明，在过去一万年里，人类大脑已经明显缩小。
Hannah Critchlow, a neuroscientist at the University of Cambridge, UK, offers many reasons to be optimistic, however.
然而，英国剑桥大学神经科学家汉娜·克里奇洛给出了许多让人保持乐观的理由。
In her new book The 21st Century Brain she describes how we can all cultivate the mental flexibility that will be necessary to navigate the challenges ahead.
在她的新书《21世纪的大脑》中，她描述了我们每个人如何培养必要的心理灵活性，以应对未来的挑战。
"I basically wrote it for myself, so that I can make better decisions and improve my own lives, especially as I going through middle age," she tells me.
她告诉我：“我基本上是为自己写的，这样我就能做出更好的决定，改善自己的生活，尤其是在我步入中年之后。”
"But also for my parents, so that they can maintain a healthy brain into older age, and for my son, who's 10 now.
“但这也是为我的父母写的，让他们到老年仍能保持大脑健康；也是为我现在10岁的儿子写的。
What can I do to helps his brain to flourish?"
我能做些什么来帮助他的大脑蓬勃发展？”
Read on to discover her secrets for Future-proofing your mind.
继续读下去，了解她让你的思维适应未来的秘诀。
What inspired you to explore the concept of the 21st Century Brain?
是什么启发你去探索“21世纪大脑”这一概念的？
I first began working on the book three years ago, and in the intervening time, there's been an explosion of developments in AI.
我最初是在三年前开始写这本书的，而在这期间，人工智能的发展出现了爆发式增长。
But it was obvious, even then, that this technology was going to start encroaching on all our lives, on a society-wide level, but also on an individual level – and then, as now, there was a lot of excitement about that, and a lot of fear.
但即使在当时也很明显，这项技术将开始渗透到我们所有人的生活中，既在全社会层面，也在个人层面；那时和现在一样，人们对此既非常兴奋，也充满恐惧。
I wanted to taking a Steps back, and acknowledge the fact that AI was developed from knowledge that we've got from neuroscience.
我想退一步看，并承认这样一个事实：人工智能是基于我们从神经科学中获得的知识发展起来的。
So what if we flip that around and ask how we can use this understanding to make the most of the intelligence that we have within our own organic brain?
那么，如果我们把这个问题反过来，问问如何利用这种理解，最大限度发挥我们自身生物大脑中的智能，又会怎样呢？
The same understanding that has driven these technological developments can unleash the human cognitive potential that we all have.
推动这些技术发展的同一种理解，也能释放我们每个人都拥有的人类认知潜能。
What were your criteria for selecting the skills that will be most important for the 21st Century?
你选择那些对21世纪最重要的技能时，依据的标准是什么？
I wanted to focus on the skills that have often been overlooked by scientists, but which underpin our ability to connect with each other, to imagine a new world, to innovate, to problem-solve, and to think longer term.
我想关注那些常常被科学家忽视的能力，而这些能力支撑着我们彼此连接、想象一个新世界、创新、解决问题以及进行更长期思考的能力。
Since we're living at a time of unprecedented change social and technological change, I examine our ability to tolerate change, uncertainty and ambiguity.
既然我们正生活在一个社会和技术发生前所未有变化的时代，我考察了我们承受变化、不确定性和模糊性的能力。
All of this basically requires healthy "bioenergetics", so I also looked at the mitochondria – the power stations of our cells.
所有这些基本上都需要健康的“生物能量代谢”，所以我也会关注线粒体，也就是我们细胞中的发电站。
Let's start with emotional intelligence and empathy, which are often viewed as "soft skills".
我们先从情商和同理心谈起，它们常被视为“软技能”。
Emotional intelligence and empathy scores can be the biggest predictor of how satisfied we are with life, how positive we feeling about our relations with others and academic success.
情商和同理心得分，可能是预测我们对生活有多满意、对人际关系有多积极以及学业成就的最大指标。
When we look at the genetic data, it seems to have a heritability of between 10% and 45%, but we can all train our emotional intelligence and empathy.
从遗传数据来看，它的遗传度似乎在10%到45%之间，但我们都可以训练自己的情商和共情能力。
Jamil Zaki, a psychologist at Stanford University, argues that we can start by showing a little bit of compassion to ourselves.
斯坦福大学心理学家贾米尔·扎基认为，我们可以从对自己表现出一点同情和体谅开始。
Just take time to ask, "Why am I feeling this emotion?"
只要花点时间问问自己：“我为什么会有这种情绪？”
And what is it that I can do to help myself with this feeling, so that I'm more comfortable?
我能做些什么来帮助自己应对这种感觉，让自己更舒服一些？
Once you start practicing a little bit of self-compassion, the effects will ripple out to others.
一旦你开始练习一点自我关怀，这种影响就会逐渐扩散到他人身上。
You also argue that altruistic behaviour may – quite literally – comes from our guts.
你还认为，利他行为或许真的可以说来自我们的肠道。
There is a really lovely study by Hilke Plassmann from Insead in Fontainebleau, France, and her colleagues, who looked at 100 healthy volunteers taking pre- and probiotics.
法国枫丹白露欧洲工商管理学院的希尔克·普拉斯曼及其同事做过一项非常有意思的研究，他们观察了100名服用益生元和益生菌的健康志愿者。
After just seven weeks they had a more varied gut microbiome, compared to those taking the placebo, and they were also much more altruistic.
仅仅七周后，与服用安慰剂的人相比，他们的肠道微生物群更加多样，也表现得更利他。
The participants were more willing to relinquish their own money in the name of equality, for instance.
例如，参与者更愿意为了平等而放弃自己的钱。
In other words, their levels of altruism were altered by them having a much more diverse gut microbiome.
换句话说，他们肠道微生物群更加多样，这改变了他们的利他水平。
Isn't that incredible?
这不是很不可思议吗？
Indeed!
确实如此！
How is it possible that our gut bacteria could change our behaviour?
我们的肠道细菌怎么可能改变我们的行为呢？
The mechanism is not entirely known, but there are loads of nerves that live within the gut and our heart.
其机制尚未完全明确，但肠道和心脏中都有大量神经。
And when you get "gut feeling", that's because all of those cells are basically sending a signal up via the vagus nerve to the insula, which is the region of the brain that's involved in sensing our environment and collecting information, and then the decision-making parts of the brain.
当你产生“直觉”时，那是因为所有这些细胞基本上都在通过迷走神经向上传递信号到脑岛；脑岛是大脑中参与感知环境和收集信息的区域，随后信号会传到大脑的决策部位。
It's thought gut bacteria produce chemical neurotransmitters that alter the activity of neural circuits to shape our behaviour including social interactions.
人们认为，肠道细菌会产生化学神经递质，改变神经回路的活动，从而塑造我们的行为，包括社交互动。
How about creativity?
创造力又怎么样呢？
There's this amazing sentence in your book where you argue that, from a neuroscientist's point of view, the difference between a Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart or Ada Lovelace and the rest of us, is only one of slight degree.
你的书里有一句很精彩的话，你在其中提出，从神经科学家的角度来看，沃尔夫冈·阿马德乌斯·莫扎特或阿达·洛夫莱斯与我们其他人之间的差别，只是程度上略有不同。
How can we make more of these talents?
我们怎样才能更好地利用这些才能？
One is to make the most of our daydreaming.
其中之一就是充分利用我们的白日梦式思绪游离。
Twenty percent of our day is spent mind-wandering – so not thinking about anything specifically, or trying to work on a particular goal – and that is when you start to get new ideas.
我们一天中有20%的时间都在走神，也就是没有专门思考任何事情，或没有努力完成某个特定目标，而这正是你开始产生新想法的时候。
Your brain just kind of settles on different things that are rumbling through your mind.
你的大脑只是会慢慢停留在那些在脑海中翻腾的不同想法上。
And we know that just going out for a walk in nature can help with that process.
我们知道，只是到大自然中散散步，就能帮助这一过程。
It helps to increase a very particular frequency of electrical oscillations in the brain called alpha waves, which are associated with calm, creative thinking.
它有助于增强大脑中一种非常特定频率的电振荡，即所谓的阿尔法波；这种脑波与平静、创造性的思维有关。
It is probably why Archimedes also had his eureka moment in his bath, when he was nice and relaxed in the water.
这或许也是为什么阿基米德在泡澡时、在水中十分放松的状态下，迎来了他的“尤里卡”顿悟时刻。
We also know that sleep is important for creativity, especially when you are first dropping off and thinking in a strange, fragmented way.
我们还知道，睡眠对创造力很重要，尤其是在你刚要入睡、思绪以一种奇怪而零碎的方式运转时。
Once again, it's encouraging the brainwaves that are associated with that enhanced creativity.
这同样是在促进那些与增强创造力相关的脑波。
It's been said that Thomas Edison would hold a metal object over a metal tray, it would clatter down onto the metal tray and wake him up, so that he could scribble down any new ideas that he’d had.
据说托马斯·爱迪生会把一个金属物拿在金属托盘上方；它会哐啷一声掉到托盘上，把他吵醒，这样他就能匆匆记下刚刚想到的任何新点子。
You make a strong case that keeping fit might also help us cope better with the challenges of the 21st Century.
你有力地说明了保持健康也可能帮助我们更好地应对21世纪的挑战。
We know that physical activity is not only incredibly good for the body, but also for the brain, because it allows the creation of new nerve cells and circuits.
我们知道，身体活动不仅对身体极其有益，也对大脑有益，因为它能促成新的神经细胞和神经回路的生成。
That helps us to think in new ways and incorporate new bits of information, so that we retain that agility and flexibility within the brain.
这有助于我们以新的方式思考，并吸收新的信息片段，从而保持大脑的敏捷性和灵活性。
Which brings us to bioenergetics.
这就引出了生物能量学。
What is it, and how do you apply that knowledge in your own life?
它是什么？你又如何把这些知识应用到自己的生活中？
It depends on our mitochondria – the tiny powerhouses in our cells.
这取决于我们的线粒体，也就是细胞中微小的能量工厂。
Our brain uses vast amounts of energy to think in different ways, and so, anything that we can do to help our mitochondria to create nice, clean energy is going to help with all of those mental gymnastics.
我们的大脑会消耗大量能量来进行不同方式的思考，因此，凡是能帮助线粒体产生良好、清洁能量的事情，都会有助于这些复杂的脑力活动。
• The protective effect that fibre has on the brain
• 膳食纤维对大脑的保护作用
• The right type of exercise can give your memory a boost
• 合适类型的运动可以增强你的记忆力
• The everyday activity that can reveal your brain's age
• 一项能揭示你大脑年龄的日常活动
I do exercise, because that helps mitochondria multiply, so that you've got more power stations in your brain and in your body.
我会运动，因为运动有助于线粒体增多，这样你的大脑和身体里就会有更多“发电站”。
I make sure that I get enough sleep, because that's when you can mop up the toxic waste from the energy production.
我会确保自己睡够，因为睡眠期间身体能够清除能量生产过程中产生的有毒废物。
And I eating healthily, so that my mitochondria have got the right fuel to create the right type of energy.
我也健康饮食，好让我的线粒体获得合适的燃料，产生合适类型的能量。
That means not eating too much sugar or processed food.
这意味着不要摄入过多糖分或加工食品。
Finally, what is your advice for someone who feels overwhelmed with the pace of life today?
最后，对于那些觉得被当今生活节奏压得喘不过气的人，你有什么建议？
It's strange, because in some ways, the human brain struggles with change, and the uncertainty and ambiguity that comes with it.
这很奇怪，因为从某些方面来说，人类大脑很难应对变化，以及随之而来的不确定性和模糊性。
But as a species, we seem to have been driven to innovate and to move in different directions, to explore and be curious.
但作为一个物种，我们似乎一直受到驱动去创新、走向不同方向、探索并保持好奇。
So there's always been a tension between the two, and I think it's helpful to just accept that this is a part of our species' natural predisposition – to create change and to be slightly fearful of it.
因此，这两者之间始终存在一种张力，而我认为，直接接受这一点会有帮助：创造变化并对变化略感恐惧，是我们这个物种天生倾向的一部分。
Hannah Critchlow's latest book The 21st Century Brain: Cutting Edge Neuroscience to Help Us Navigate the Future is published by Torva.
汉娜·克里奇洛的最新著作《21世纪的大脑：帮助我们应对未来的前沿神经科学》由Torva出版。
* David Robson is an award-winning science writer and author.
* 大卫·罗布森是一位获奖科学作家和作者。
His latest book, The Laws of Connection: 13 Social Strategies That Will Transform Your Life, was published by Canongate (UK) and Pegasus Books (USA & Canada) in June 2024.
他的最新著作《连接法则：13个将改变你生活的社交策略》于2024年6月由英国的 Canongate 和美国及加拿大的 Pegasus Books 出版。
He is @davidarobson on Instagram and Threads and writes the 60-Second Psychology newsletter on Substack.
他在 Instagram 和 Threads 上的账号是 @davidarobson，并在 Substack 上撰写《60秒心理学》通讯。
For trusted insights on health and wellbeing, sign up to the Health Fix newsletter by senior health correspondent Melissa Hogenboom who also writes the Live Well For Longer and Six Steps to Calm courses.
如需获取有关健康与身心福祉的可靠见解，可以订阅高级健康记者梅丽莎·霍根布姆撰写的Health Fix新闻简报；她还编写了Live Well For Longer和Six Steps to Calm课程。
For more science, technology, environment and health stories from the BBC, follow us on Facebook and Instagram.
想阅读更多 BBC 关于科学、技术、环境和健康的报道，请在 Facebook 和 Instagram 上关注我们。