心理探秘 期望值反向决定心理时间

Most people returning from holiday feel that the journey home passes by much quicker than the outward leg. Even though both distances and journey are usually the same, the way back still seems shorter. Scientists believe this 'return trip effect' is not caused by being more familiar with the route on a return journey, as previously thought, but because of different expectations.

很奇怪，大多数的人在旅游后都感觉回家路程上所消耗的时间会很快，即使路程的长度是一样的。先前的实验认为，归途的所需的时间较短是因为人们更熟悉路径的原因，然而，近日科学家推翻了之前的结论，他们认为归途所需时间较短是因为“期望值的不同”。

Lead researcher Niels van de Ven, of Tilburg University in the Netherlands, said: 'People often underestimate how long the outward journey takes and this is therefore experienced as long. 'Based on that feeling, the traveller expects the return journey to be long as well, and this then turns out to be shorter than expected.'

荷兰Tilburg大学首席研究员Niels van de Ven说：“一般来说，人们在展开旅程之前，一般对低估前往目的地的路程，但在经历了一番颠簸之后在等到归途时，他们又会高估了归途的路程，结果却发现归途的时间较短，所以一切的一切都可以归结为期望值的高低问题。”

An over-optimistic prior estimation of the journey time leads to the illusion of the return journey being shorter, the researchers said. This conclusion was based on three short studies where 350 people either took a trip by bus, by bicycle or watched a video of a person taking a bicycle ride. When the duration estimates were compared, respondents thought that the return journey on average went by 22 per cent faster than the outward journey.

据悉，对自己启程所耗时间的过分乐观是导致造成归途变短错觉的主要因素。针对这个猜测，专家在350名志愿者中做了调查，调查分3组人员：A组乘坐公交车、B组骑自行车、C组则观看一段骑单车的视频。在进行比较归途时间长短时，大家都觉得归途时间比启程时间平均要快22%。

The return trip effect was largest for participants who reported that the initial trip felt disappointingly long. However in their study, the researchers demonstrated that this explanation is unlikely. Co-author Michael Roy, from Elizabethtown College in Pennsylvania, said: 'The return trip effect also existed when respondents took a different, but equidistant, return route. 'You do not need to recognise a route to experience the effect.' The researchers now hope to be able to explain more than just this return trip effect.

因大多数的志愿者都会启程所消耗的时间高估、都觉得去的路程太漫长，进而也降低了对于自己归途的期望值。来自宾夕法尼亚Elizabethtown的专家Michael Roy说：“所谓的归心似箭、回家的路程会相对更快这种效应出现在相同的路程中，你根本不需要去依靠路程的长短来判断所需时间，因为人们对于归途的期望值会过低，正所谓，抱有最坏的准备，会有更好的希望。”

Professor van de Ven said: 'These findings on the return trip effect can help us make new predictions on how people experience the duration of tasks, even those unrelated to travelling.'

教授van de Ven 说：“我们所发现的‘归途效应’帮助我们更好的了解在处理任何事情中期望值对结果产生的心理影响，这种影响并不局限在旅途过程中。”