"Success addicts" choose being special over being happy
对成功“上瘾”的人，宁愿放弃快乐，也要活得特别
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.
虽然“成功”并不属于传统意义上的医学成瘾症，但对很多人来说，它具备一些让人上瘾的特性。从某种程度上说，人们的赞美刺激了神经递质多巴胺的分泌，而多巴胺正是所有成瘾行为背后的“元凶”。
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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.
对成功的渴望可能是人类与生俱来的，然而，想成为特殊的存在并没有那么容易。成功是一项残酷的劳动，它要求人们作出牺牲。上世纪 80 年代，罗伯特·戈德曼医生的一则发现世人皆知：有半数以上胸怀壮志的运动员，都愿意服用一种药物，以换取他们所参加的每场比赛的胜利。这种药物能在五年内，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，成功是永无止境的。最终的目标难以实现，大多数人永远都不会觉得自己“足够成功”。成功带来的兴奋感只会持续一两天，然后（人们）就会开始追逐下一个目标。心理学家称这样的现象为“享乐跑步机”，在这个过程中，满足感几乎立刻就会消失，我们必须跑向下一个“奖赏”，才不会觉得自己已经落后于他人。
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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.
人们应该从这种“跑步机”上下来，但对上瘾的人来说，放弃并不是件易事。对于那些吸毒成瘾的人而言，戒毒的过程对身、心都是一种痛苦的经历。
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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."
一项研究发现，精英运动员在职业生涯结束之后，普遍会感到抑郁和焦虑。尤其是参加奥运会的运动员，他们备受“奥运后忧郁症”的困扰。
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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坏事，正如葡萄酒也不全然是不好的东西，两者都能给生活带来快乐和甜蜜。但当它们成为我们生命中的核心——人际关系与爱的替代品，而不是补给品时，它们就会展露出残暴的狰狞面孔。
主编：Eein
品控：Pita
审核：夏天
Photo credit:
By Jynto (talk) - Own work, created with Discovery Studio Visualizer., CC0
重点词汇
addict
/ˈæd.ɪkt/
n. 对……入迷的人，……迷
词根词缀：-aholic（表示“……迷”）
相关词汇：success-aholic
搭配短语：shopping addicts
同义词：shopaholic
搭配短语：chocolate addicts
同义词：chocaholic
conventional
/kənˈven.ʃən.əl/
adj. 传统的，常规的；墨守成规的，因循守旧的
近义词：traditional
property
/ˈprɑː.pɚ.t̬i/
n. 特性，特质；财产，资产
近义词：quality
搭配短语：a herb with healing properties
stimulate
/ˈstɪm.jə.leɪt/
v. 刺激，使（身体，生物系统）兴奋
近义词：encourage
搭配短语：stimulate the economy
搭配短语：stimulate the interest / passion
neurotransmitter
/ˌnʊr.oʊ.trænsˈmɪt̬.ɚ/
n. 神经递质
词根词缀：neuro-（表示“与神经有关的”）
相关词汇：neuroscience
相关词汇：transmitter（n. 传递者）
相关词汇：transmit（v. 传输，传递）
implicate
/ˈɪm.plə.keɪt/
v. 说明（某物）导致（不好或有害的事）；涉及，牵连
搭配短语：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
某物能以低价买到（一般出现在否定句中）
英文释义：to be available at a low price
例句：These chairs don't come cheap.
brutal
/ˈbruː.t̬əl/
adj. 野蛮的，残忍的
英文释义：very cruel and violent
搭配短语：a brutal murderer
搭配短语：a brutal murder
aspiring
/əˈspaɪr.ɪŋ/
adj. 有抱负的，有志向的
相关词汇：aspire（v. 渴望，有志于……）
例句：I aspire to be a teacher.
high
/haɪ/
n. 兴奋感
英文释义：a feeling of great happiness or excitement
反义词：low
搭配短语：the emotional highs and lows
hedonic
/hiːˈdɑː.nɪk/
adj. 享乐的，快乐的
英文释义：of or relating to pleasure
treadmill
/ˈtred.mɪl/
n. 跑步机
相关词汇：tread（v. 踩，踏）
相关词汇：mill（n. 磨粉机；机器）
wear off
（感觉等）逐渐消失，消逝
英文释义：gradually disappears
例句：The drug wears off.
例句：The pain wears off.
hook
/hʊk/
v. 吸引，迷住；钩住……
词性拓展：hook（n. 钩子）
例句：I was hooked by their humor.
搭配短语：be hooked on
近义词：be addicted to
substance
/ˈsʌb.stəns/
n. 毒品；物质，本质
withdrawal
/wɪðˈdrɑː.əl/
n. 戒毒（过程）
相关词汇：withdraw（v. 撤销，撤回；戒毒）
agonizing
/ˈæɡ.ə.naɪ.zɪŋ/
adj. 令人痛苦的，折磨人的
相关词汇：agony（n. 极大的痛苦）
英文释义：very severe pain
相关词汇：agonize（v. 感到极其痛苦，受折磨）
搭配短语：to agonize over the problem
elite
/iˈliːt/
adj. 精英的，最优秀的
词性拓展：elite（n. 精英）
blues
/bluːz/
n. 忧郁，悲伤，沮丧；布鲁斯音乐（蓝调音乐）
英文释义：feelings of sadness or depression
tyrannical
/tɪˈræn.ɪ.kəl/
adj. 残暴的，专制的
搭配短语：a tyrannical emperor
搭配短语：a tyrannical government
substitute
/ˈsʌb.stə.tuːt/
n. 替代品
词性拓展：substitute（v. 替代）
例句：Apples will substitute / complement the dessert.
complement
/ˈkɑːm.plə.ment/
n. 补足物，补充
词性拓展：complement（v. 补足，与……相辅相成）
例句：Apples will substitute / complement the dessert.
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