为什么短视频越刷越无聊？

近日，多伦多大学士嘉堡分校研究人员的一项研究结果表明，虽然许多人是因为无聊才疯狂刷视频，但这种行为实际上反而增加了无聊感。

那怎么办呢？研究人员最后给出了建议。

今天你练听力了吗？

🤔️小作业：

1. According to the research, what is the main reason people experience increased boredom when switching between videos?

A) Switching reduces engagement with the videos being watched.

B) The content quality of online videos is generally low.

C) People have too many choices, which leads to confusion.

D) The fast-forward and skip functions are difficult to use effectively.

A) Boredom is not related to how much attention a person gives to a video.

B) Increased attention to a video always reduces boredom.

C) Boredom occurs when there is a gap between actual engagement and desired engagement.

D) Attention levels are solely determined by the content quality of videos.

无注释原文：

Scrolling through online videos increases feelings of boredom, study finds

From: The Guardian

Browsing videos on TikTok or YouTube can be a hit-and-miss affair, with gems lurking amid mediocre efforts. But researchers have found that switching to another video, or skipping forwards and backwards in the same one, actually makes people more bored.

Dr Katy Tam at the University of Toronto Scarborough, the lead author of the research, said boredom was closely linked to attention.

“We feel bored when there's a gap between how engaged we are and how engaged we want to be,” she said. “When people keep switching through videos, they become less engaged with the videos and they are looking for something more interesting. This can lead to increased feelings of boredom.”

The results appear to chime with other studies: as the team notes, previous research has suggested that while boredom relief is a driver for people to use social media or smartphones, the use of such technology appears to make the feeling worse.

Writing in the Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, Tam and colleagues report how they carried out seven experiments involving a total of more than 1,200 participants.

The first, involving 140 participants, revealed that people tended to switch between videos more when they rated the content more boring, while the second – an online survey involving 231 participants – suggested people thought having the option to skip through a video or switch to another would make viewing a video less boring.

However, the team's subsequent experiments suggest this is not the case.

Data from a group of 166 undergraduates suggests participants felt more bored when allowed to skip about within a video than when they were not able to, while results from 159 undergraduates revealed they reported higher levels or boredom when given a collection of five-minute videos they could switch between, compared with a single 10-minute video.

The researchers found similar results when the latter experiment was repeated with 174 undergraduates who were allowed to pick their own videos from YouTube – although the size of the effect was smaller.

However, when they looked at the results from 175 participants of a broader age range, they found no difference in reported boredom when the participants were given five-minute videos they could switch between, or a single 10-minute video to watch. What's more, unlike in the earlier experiments, the order in which participants undertook the viewing tasks had an influence on their levels of reported boredom.

Tam said one explanation for the differences could be demographics, noting the later experiments involved participants with a broader age range and an older mean age than the earlier experiments.

“We speculated that people of different ages may have different habits when it comes to watching videos and switching,” she said. “How people consume videos and how this affects boredom may vary based on age and digital media habits, but further research is needed to explore this.”

Ultimately, said Tam, it could be worth taking your time before hitting the fast-forward or skip buttons, and find ways to stay focused while watching videos.

“Our research shows that while people fast-forward or skip videos to avoid boredom, this behaviour can actually make them feel more bored,” she said. “Just as we pay for an immersive experience in a movie theatre, enjoyment often comes from immersing ourselves in videos rather than swiping through them.”

- ◆ -

注：完整题目见本文开头；中文文本为机器翻译并非一一对应，仅供参考

含注释全文：

Scrolling through online videos increases feelings of boredom, study finds

From: The Guardian

Browsing videos on TikTok or YouTube can be a hit-and-miss affair, with gems lurking amid mediocre efforts. But researchers have found that switching to another video, or skipping forwards and backwards in the same one, actually makes people more bored.

在TikTok或YouTube上浏览视频可能会有惊喜，但也会有平庸的作品夹杂其中。然而，研究人员发现，频繁切换视频或在同一个视频中前后跳转，反而会让人感到更加无聊。

browse /braʊz/ 表示“浏览；随意看”，英文解释为“to look through a book or magazine without reading everything, or to walk around a shop looking at several things without intending to buy any of them”举个🌰：I was browsing through fashion magazines to find a new hairstyle. 我在浏览时尚杂志，想找一种新发型。

也可以指“浏览（互联网）；在网上浏览（信息）”，英文解释为“to look at information on the internet”如：to browse the Web 浏览万维网。

hit-and-miss /ˌhɪt.ənˈmɪs/ 表示“没准的，碰运气的”，英文解释为“If something is hit-and-miss, you cannot depend on it to be of good quality, on time, accurate, etc.”举个🌰：The trains are often late, so getting to work on time is a fairly hit-and-miss affair. 火车经常晚点，所以准时上班在很大程度上是件碰运气的事。

gem /dʒem/ 1）表示“（尤指切割成规则形状的）宝石”，英文解释为“a jewel (= precious stone), especially when cut into a particular regular shape”

2）表示“难能可贵的人（或物）；被人喜爱的人（或物）；非常有用的人（或物）”，英文解释为“someone or something that is very good, pleasing, or useful”举个🌰：The coffee house is a hidden gem (= something that not a lot of people know about). 这个咖啡馆真是块隐藏的瑰宝。

lurking /ˈlɜː.kɪŋ/ 表示“潜在的，隐藏着的；持续的，难消除的”，英文解释为“a lurking feeling exists, although it may not be very strong, and will not go away”举个🌰：She said she had a lurking suspicion that he wasn't telling the truth. 她说她总有那么一丝怀疑，认为他没有说实话。

mediocre /ˌmiː.diˈəʊ.kər/ 表示“普通的，平庸的，不够好的”，英文解释为“not very good”举个🌰：The film's plot is predictable and the acting is mediocre. 这部影片的情节都能猜得到，演员的演技也不够好。

Dr Katy Tam at the University of Toronto Scarborough, the lead author of the research, said boredom was closely linked to attention.

这项研究的第一作者、多伦多大学士嘉堡分校的谭凯迪博士（Dr Katy Tam）说，无聊感与注意力密切相关。

“We feel bored when there's a gap between how engaged we are and how engaged we want to be,” she said. “When people keep switching through videos, they become less engaged with the videos and they are looking for something more interesting. This can lead to increased feelings of boredom.”

“当我们的投入感与预期的投入感不一致时，就会感到无聊，”她说。“人们在不停切换视频时，实际上是在寻找更有趣的内容，但这样做反而降低了他们的参与度，导致无聊感增加。”

The results appear to chime with other studies: as the team notes, previous research has suggested that while boredom relief is a driver for people to use social media or smartphones, the use of such technology appears to make the feeling worse.

这些结果似乎与其他研究相吻合：正如研究团队所指出，之前的研究表明，尽管许多人使用社交媒体或智能手机是为了缓解无聊感，但似乎反而会加剧无聊感。

chime /tʃaɪm/ 表示“（铃或钟）敲，鸣，响”，英文解释为“(of bells) to make a clear ringing sound”举个🌰：In the square the church bells chimed. 广场上教堂的钟声敲响了。

chime (in) with sth 表示“（计划、主意等）与…相一致（或相似）”，英文解释为“to agree with sth; to be similar to sth”举个🌰：His opinions chimed in with the mood of the nation. 他的主张与国民的心态相吻合。

Writing in the Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, Tam and colleagues report how they carried out seven experiments involving a total of more than 1,200 participants.

该研究发表于《实验心理学杂志》（Journal of Experimental Psychology: General）上。谭博士及其同事称他们进行了七项实验，共有超过1200名参与者。

The first, involving 140 participants, revealed that people tended to switch between videos more when they rated the content more boring, while the second – an online survey involving 231 participants – suggested people thought having the option to skip through a video or switch to another would make viewing a video less boring.

第一项实验有140人参与，结果显示，当人们认为视频内容较为无聊时，他们会更频繁地切换视频；第二项实验是一项在线调查，有231人参与，结果显示，人们认为如果可以选择跳过一段视频或切换到另一段视频，会让观看视频变得不那么无聊。

option /ˈɒp.ʃən/ 1）表示“选择，选项；选择权”，英文解释为“one thing that can be chosen from a set of possibilities, or the freedom to make a choice”举个🌰：The best option would be to cancel the trip altogether. 最好的选择是彻底取消这次行程。

2）表示“期权；未来购买权”，英文解释为“the right to buy something in the future”如：a share/stock option 股票期权。

However, the team's subsequent experiments suggest this is not the case.

然而，研究团队随后进行的实验表明，情况并非如此。

subsequent /ˈsʌb.sɪ.kwənt/ 表示“随后的，接着的；后来的；之后的；接后的”，英文解释为“happening after something else”举个🌰：The book discusses his illness and subsequent resignation from politics. 书中讲述了他患病及随后隐退政坛的事。

Data from a group of 166 undergraduates suggests participants felt more bored when allowed to skip about within a video than when they were not able to, while results from 159 undergraduates revealed they reported higher levels or boredom when given a collection of five-minute videos they could switch between, compared with a single 10-minute video.

在对166名本科生的实验中，研究发现，当参与者可以在视频中自由跳转时，他们的无聊感比不能跳转时更强烈。而在另一个对159名本科生的实验中，结果表明，当参与者可以在多个五分钟长视频之间切换时，他们的无聊感比观看一个10分钟的视频时更为强烈。

The researchers found similar results when the latter experiment was repeated with 174 undergraduates who were allowed to pick their own videos from YouTube – although the size of the effect was smaller.

当研究人员再次进行这一实验，允许174名本科生从YouTube上自行选择视频时，结果虽然与之前的实验类似，但效果稍弱。

However, when they looked at the results from 175 participants of a broader age range, they found no difference in reported boredom when the participants were given five-minute videos they could switch between, or a single 10-minute video to watch. What's more, unlike in the earlier experiments, the order in which participants undertook the viewing tasks had an influence on their levels of reported boredom.

然而，当研究人员分析了175名年龄范围更广的参与者的数据后发现，无论是观看可以切换的多个五分钟长视频，还是观看一个10分钟的视频，他们的无聊感都没有显著差异。此外，与之前实验不同的是，参与者进行观看任务的顺序对参与者报告的无聊感有影响。

undertake /ˌʌn.dəˈteɪk/ 1）表示“（开始）做，承担，从事（尤指耗时或困难之事）”，英文解释为“to do or begin to do something, especially something that will take a long time or be difficult”举个🌰：Students are required to undertake simple experiments. 要求学生们做些简单的实验。

2）undertake to do表示“承诺，允诺，答应”，英文解释为“to promise that you will do something”举个🌰：She undertook not to publish the names of the people involved. 她答应不公布有关人员的名字。

Tam said one explanation for the differences could be demographics, noting the later experiments involved participants with a broader age range and an older mean age than the earlier experiments.

谭博士认为，这种差异可能与参与者的年龄结构有关。她指出，后几次实验的参与者年龄范围更广，平均年龄也较之前更大。

demographic /ˌdem.əˈɡræf.ɪk/ 1）作形容词，表示“人口的；人口统计的；人口学的”，英文解释为“relating to demography (= the study of populations and the different groups that make them up)”举个🌰：There have been monumental social and demographic changes in the country. 该国的社会和人口状况已经发生了巨大的变化。

2）作名词，表示“（顾客）族群”，英文解释为“a group of people, for example customers, who are similar in age, social class, etc.”举个🌰：This demographic (young teenagers) is the fastest-growing age group using the site. 该族群（十几岁的年轻人）是使用这个网站人数增长最快的年龄群体。

📍demographics /ˌdem.əˈɡræf.ɪks/ 表示“人口统计数据，人口统计结果”，英文解释为“the number and characteristics of people who live in a particular area or form a particular group, especially in relation to their age, how much money they have and what they spend it on”举个🌰：The demographics of the country have changed dramatically in recent years. 近年来该国的人口统计数据发生了巨大的变化。

“We speculated that people of different ages may have different habits when it comes to watching videos and switching,” she said. “How people consume videos and how this affects boredom may vary based on age and digital media habits, but further research is needed to explore this.”

“我们推测，不同年龄的人在观看视频和切换时可能有不同的习惯，”她说。“人们观看视频的方式以及这对无聊感的影响可能因年龄和数字媒体习惯而异，但还需要进一步的研究来探讨这个问题。”

speculate /ˈspekjuleɪt/ 表示“推测；猜测；推断”，英文解释为“to form an opinion about sth without knowing all the details or facts”举个🌰：We all speculated about the reasons for her resignation. 我们大家都推测过她辞职的原因。

📺美剧《24小时》（24 Hours）中的台词提到：I wouldn't want to speculate at this time, 这次我不想妄加揣测。

Ultimately, said Tam, it could be worth taking your time before hitting the fast-forward or skip buttons, and find ways to stay focused while watching videos.

最后，谭博士说，在按下快进或跳过按钮之前，或许可以先试着保持专注，享受观看视频的过程。

fast-forward /ˌfɑːstˈfɔː.wəd/ 可以作名词，也可以作动词，表示“（使）（录音录像设备）快速进带，快进”，英文解释为“If you fast-forward a recording, or if it fast-forwards, you make it play at very high speed so that you get to the end or a later part more quickly.”举个🌰：I hate this song - I'll fast-forward to the next one. 我讨厌这首歌，我要快进到下一首。

“Our research shows that while people fast-forward or skip videos to avoid boredom, this behaviour can actually make them feel more bored,” she said. “Just as we pay for an immersive experience in a movie theatre, enjoyment often comes from immersing ourselves in videos rather than swiping through them.”

“我们的研究表明，虽然人们快进或跳过视频是为了避免无聊，但这种行为实际上会让他们感到更加无聊，”她说。“就像我们花钱去电影院享受身临其境的体验一样，乐趣往往来自于沉浸在视频中，而不是随意划过。”

immersive /ɪˈmɜː.sɪv/ 表示“沉浸式的；沉浸感的；身临其境的”，英文解释为“seeming to surround the audience, player, etc. so that they feel completely involved in something”如：an immersive theatrical experience 身临其境的剧场体验。

swipe /swaɪp/ 表示“滑屏，滑动”，英文解释为“to move your finger over the screen of a mobile phone or tablet in order to move onto the next page, choose something, etc.”举个🌰：Swipe left to see more search results. 左滑查看更多搜索结果。

- 词汇盘点 -

- 词汇助记 By ChatGPT -

LearnAndRecord

2015年2月8日

2024年8月23日

第3485天

每天持续行动学外语