In what may seem an obvious finding to many, how one thinks about death can affect behavior in life, a new study finds. 对死亡的看法可影响人们的行为，这一看法对很多人来说毋庸置疑，而最新研究也的确证明了这一点。
"Death is a very powerful motivation," said Laura E.R. Blackie, a Ph.D. student at the University of Essex in Britain. "People seem aware that their life is limited. That can be one of the best gifts that we have in life, motivating us to embrace life and embrace goals that are important to us."
“死亡是强有力的动机，”英国埃塞克斯大学博士生劳拉E.R.布莱基说道。“人们似乎明白生命有限这个道理。而这可谓我们在世的最好礼物这一，它鼓励我们面对生活，实现对我们而言重要的目标。”
Blackie and her advisor, Philip J. Cozzolino, recruited 90 people in a British town center and asked separated them into three groups. One group was asked to respond to general questions about death – such as their thoughts and feelings about death and what they think happens to them if they die. The other was asked to imagine dying in an apartment fire and then asked four questions about how they thought they would deal with the experience and how they thought their family would react. A control group thought about dental pain.
布莱基和她的导师菲利普J. 科佐利诺在英国某小镇中心招收了90名志愿者，并将他们分成三组。其中一组需回答关于死亡的一般性问题——比如他们对于死亡的想法和感觉、他们死了会遭遇到什么经历。另外一组则被要求在想象自己死于公寓大火的情景后回答4个问题，以说明他们对于这种经历将如何应对、家人对此如何反应。最后一组控制组只需想象牙疼即可。
Next, the participants read an article about blood donations. Some were given an article saying blood donations were "at record highs" and the need was low; others read another article reporting the opposite – that donations were "at record lows" and the need was high. All were then offered a pamphlet guaranteeing fast registration at a blood center that day and told they should only take a pamphlet if they intended to donate.
接下来，志愿者们需阅读关于献血的文章。其中一部分读到的文章称献血量达到“创纪录之多”，而需求量实际没那么多；另一部分读到的文章内容恰恰相反——献血量“史上最少”，需求量实际很大。随后所有人都拿到了有助于他们在献血中心快速登记的小册子，并被告知如果想献血他们只需带这本小册子。
People who thought about death in the abstract were more likely to take a pamphlet if they read the article about a blood shortage. But people who thought about their own death were likely to take a pamphlet regardless of which article they read — their willingness to donate blood didn't seem to depend on how badly it was needed.
对死亡只有模糊认识的志愿者在读了关于献血量短缺的文章后更倾向于带上小册子。但是经历过想象自己死亡情景的志愿者不论读了什么样的文章，都会愿意带着小册子——看来他们献血的意愿并不决定于血液的需求量。
When people think about their demise abstractly, they may be more likely to fear death, while thinking specifically about your own death "enables people to integrate the idea of death into their lives more fully," Blackie said. Thinking about their mortality in a more personal and authentic manner may make them think more about what they value in life.
当人们只是笼统地看待生命终结，他们更有可能对死亡产生恐惧，而将死亡观念具体化“能够让人们将死亡观念和生活融合地更加充分”，布莱基说道。用一种更个人、更逼真的方式来看待自己的死亡让人们更多思考自己生命的价值。
The findings will be detailed in an upcoming issue of the journal Psychological Science.
这些研究发现将会在下一期《心理科学》中得到详尽阐述。