The Psychology of Your Scrolling Addiction刷屏上癮心理學

凱特琳·伍利　瑪麗薩·A.謝里夫/文　呂昕/譯

Picture this： Youve just settled into your workday and pulled up that big report you need to finish， when a friend sends you a couple of celebrity videos on Instagram. You figure youll just take a few minutes to watch the videos—and then the next thing you know， an hour has gone by. Youve been sucked down the rabbit hole1， watching video after video， while that big report sits， neglected， on2 your desk.

想象一下：你剛開始投入到工作日的狀態，準備處理那份重要的報告，這時朋友在Instagram上發來了幾段名人視頻。你本以為只會花幾分鐘瀏覽，結果不知不覺一個小時過去了。你已深陷其中無法自拔，一條接一條地刷著視頻，而那份重要的報告卻被你摘置在桌上。

We all want to use our time efficiently and productively， especially while at work. And yet， studies have shown that 77% of employees use social media while on the clock3， many of them for up to several hours a day. Even when we dont have a looming assignment， we almost never sit down， turn on our phones， and intentionally decide， “Im going to spend two hours on TikTok now！” So how does “Ill just watch a few celebrity confessionals4” spiral5 into hours of viewing？

我們都希望高效利用時間，尤其是工作的時候。然而，研究顯示，77%的員工在上班期間刷社交媒體，其中許多人每天在上面耗費數個小時。即使沒有迫在眉睫的任務，我們也幾乎從不會坐下來，打開手機，刻意決定“我現在要花兩個小時刷TikTok”！那么，“我只是刷幾條名人自白視頻”是如何蛻變成花費幾個小時刷視頻的呢？

To better understand why people fall into these sorts of rabbit holes （and how they can climb out and get back to work）， we conducted a series of studies with a total of 6，445 U.S.-based students and working adults. Through this research， we identified three factors that influence whether people choose to continue viewing photos and videos rather than switch to another activity： the amount of media the person has already viewed， the similarity of the media theyve viewed， and the manner in which they viewed the media.

為了進一步理解人們為何會陷入這種兔子洞（以及如何從中脫困并重回工作狀態），我們進行了一系列研究，共涉及美國境內6445名學生和上班族。這項研究確定了三種因素影響人們是選擇繼續瀏覽照片和視頻，還是切換到其他活動：所瀏覽媒體的數量、相似性，以及瀏覽的方式。

In the first part of our research， we were interested in exploring whether the pull of the rabbit hole would grow stronger or weaker once people had already viewed several videos. We had participants view either five different music videos or just one music video， and then we asked them if theyd rather watch another video or complete a work-related task. In theory， one might expect that people would get tired of watching music videos after watching five in a row， reducing their desire to watch more of them. But in fact， we found that the opposite was true： Watching five videos made people 10% more likely to choose to watch an additional music video than if they only watched one video.

本研究的第一部分旨在探究人們在觀看多個視頻后，兔子洞的吸引力會有所增強還是減弱。一些參與者瀏覽了五條不同的音樂視頻，而其他人只看了一條。之后我們詢問他們愿意繼續刷下一條視頻，還是投入到與工作相關的任務中去。理論上，人們可能會認為連續刷五條音樂視頻會讓人感到厭倦，從而減少觀看更多音樂視頻的欲望。但實際情況卻與之相反：觀看五條視頻的人比只看過一條的人更有可能繼續刷音樂視頻，可能性高出10%。

Next， we examined the impact of framing the videos people watched as similar to one another. We showed participants the same two videos， but for half of the participants， we explicitly labelled the videos with the same category label （“educational videos”）， while for the other half of the participants， we didnt include a category label. We found that simply framing the videos as more similar via the category label made people 21% more likely to choose to watch another related video.

我們接著研究了把所看視頻定性為相似類型對觀眾的影響。所有參與者都觀看了相同的兩段視頻，其中一半人觀看的視頻加有明確的同類別標簽（如“教育視頻”），另一半人的視頻則沒有添加任何分類標簽。結果顯示，僅通過類別標簽暗示視頻之間有相似性，觀眾選擇繼續觀看相關視頻的可能性增加了21%。

Finally， we looked at how people acted after watching several videos consecutively， versus when they watched the same number of videos with some interruptions. We had one group of participants complete two work tasks and then watch two similar videos， while the other group completed the same four tasks， but alternated between them （i.e.， work， video， work， video）. Despite having done exactly the same activities， the order made a big difference： The participants whose video consumption was uninterrupted were 22% more likely to choose to watch another video than those who alternated between work tasks and videos.

最后，我們比較了觀眾連續觀看多段視頻和斷續觀看相同數量的視頻后的行為差異。一組參與者先完成兩項工作，然后觀看兩段相似的視頻，而另一組則交替完成同樣的四項任務（即工作、視頻、工作、視頻）。盡管兩組進行的活動完全相同，但不同的順序卻產生了顯著的影響：觀看視頻無間斷的參與者比在工作和視頻之間交替的參與者更有可能選擇觀看下一個視頻，可能性高出了22%。

Clearly， seemingly small details around the order and types of content we consume can have a major impact on our decision to keep consuming similar content. But what drives this effect？ Prior research suggests that the three factors we identified all increase the accessibility of similar media. In this context， accessibility refers to how familiar， or top-of-mind6， a given kind of content feels. When something feels more accessible， it becomes easier to process， leading us to anticipate that we will enjoy it more. In other words， people choose to continue down the rabbit hole because viewing related media “feels right” —even if its at odds with7 what they actually want to be doing， whether thats getting work done or even just taking a break.

顯然，瀏覽順序和內容類型等細微差別都會對我們是否繼續瀏覽類似內容產生重要影響。不過，這種影響是如何產生的呢？以往的研究表明，我們所確定的三種因素都會增加類似媒體的可及性。在這種情況下，可及性指的是某種內容給人的熟悉感或者在我們心中的優先程度。當某樣東西感覺更加可及時，我們處理起來會更得心應手，這讓我們下意識地認為自己會更喜歡它。換句話說，人們選擇繼續沉迷于兔子洞，是因為瀏覽相關媒體“感覺對頭”——即使這與他們實際想做的事情相悖，無論是完成工作還是只是小憩片刻。

These results also illuminate why its so easy to get distracted by apps like Instagram or YouTube at work. These platforms are designed to trap viewers in a social media rabbit hole： They offer bite-sized content that makes it easy to quickly consume several videos or posts in a row， they often automatically suggest similar content， and many of them even automatically start playing similar videos， reducing the potential for interruptions. While presenting users with engaging content isnt necessarily a bad thing， the accessibility of this media is exactly what makes it so hard for users to break free from the rabbit hole and get back to whatever they were working on.

上述結果也揭示了為何我們在工作時很容易被Instagram或YouTube等應用程序分散注意力。這些平臺的設計就是要將觀眾困在社交媒體的兔子洞中：它們提供了易于消化的碎片化內容，讓我們可以連續快速地瀏覽多條視頻或帖子；它們還經常自動推薦相似的內容，甚至會自動播放類似的視頻，減少了被打斷的可能性。雖然這些平臺提供引人入勝的內容并不一定是壞事，但正是這些媒體的可及性使得用戶難以擺脫兔子洞，無法回到他們手頭的工作中去。

The good news is， a better understanding of what makes the rabbit hole so powerful can also give us the tools we need to escape it. Specifically， were more likely to get sucked in if we view many photos or videos in a row， if we consume multiple pieces of similar content， and if we are uninterrupted while consuming that content. So， to combat the pull of the rabbit hole， make an effort to just watch one video; if you really want to watch multiple in a row， choose videos that seem unrelated; or find ways to intentionally interrupt your viewing experience. There are countless strategies that can help you break the cycle： You can use a social media timer that prompts you to take a break after a certain amount of time， keep a sticky note on your desk with a note to avoid watching too many videos in a row， or even just consciously remind yourself to consume different kinds of content.

好消息是，對兔子洞強大吸引力的深入理解也讓我們有了逃離兔子洞所需要的手段。具體而言，如果我們連續瀏覽許多照片或視頻，或是觀看大量相似的內容，并且在此過程中沒有受到任何干擾，那么我們更容易陷入其中。因此，為了抵御兔子洞的誘惑，我們可以盡量只觀看一段視頻；如果真的想要連續瀏覽多段視頻，可以選擇看起來毫不相關的視頻；或者設法刻意中斷觀看過程。有各種策略可以幫助我們打破惡性循環：借助社交媒體定時器，在一段時間后提醒自己休息；在桌上貼張便利貼，提醒自己不要一口氣看太多視頻；甚至只是刻意提醒自己要瀏覽不同類型的內容。

Ultimately， theres nothing wrong with watching a cat video or two， or scrolling through a few memes8 from a friend. It only becomes a problem when consuming all this media keeps you from doing the things you actually want to be doing. So， if youre worried about falling down a rabbit hole （or if youve already fallen into one and youre struggling to climb out）， see if you can find ways to reduce the similarity， repetitiveness， and relatedness of the content youre consuming. It can be difficult， but its not impossible—and once you manage to break free， youll be back at that big report in no time.

歸根結底，看幾段萌貓視頻或翻翻朋友發來的梗圖并無大礙。問題在于，當你沉湎于這些媒體，有時會無暇顧及自己真正想做的事情。因此，如果你擔心陷入兔子洞（或者已經身陷其中，想要擺脫卻又力不從心），不妨設法減少所瀏覽內容的相似性、重復性和相關性。從兔子洞中脫身可能有些困難，但并非不可能，一旦你成功脫困，就能立刻回到那份重要的報告上了。

（譯者為“《英語世界》杯”翻譯大賽獲獎者；單位：中國科學院自然科學史研究所）

1 down the rabbit hole〈俚〉掉進兔子洞，用來形容進入一個不尋常的地方或情景之中，或指在網上關注了一個有趣而耗時的話題。該俚語源于經典童話《愛麗絲夢游仙境》：當愛麗絲掉進兔子洞時，她進入了一個不同的世界，那里的一切似乎都不正常。? 2 sit on拖延不辦，擱置。? 3 on the clock正在上班。

4 confessional（尤指天主教堂中神父聽取懺悔、告罪的）懺悔室，告解室。? 5 spiral（形勢）急劇惡化。

6 top of mind首先想到的。? 7 at odds with與……有差異，相矛盾。

8 meme爆紅的網絡話題，“梗”。