The study: In eight experiments, doctoral student Yanping Tu and three collaborators—Christopher K. Hsee of the University of Chicago and Zoe Y. Lu and Bowen Ruan of the University of Wisconsin—found that people feel more negative toward individuals, images, and sounds if those “stimuli” are perceived to be approaching them. This aversion has cautionary implications for public speakers who like to get close to their audience as well as for marketers who zoom in on products in ads.
The challenge: Are people really repelled by anything coming toward them—even if it’s a friend or a vacation? Ms. Tu, defend your research.
研究：博士生涂艳苹和三位合作者（芝加哥大学的奚恺元、威斯康星大学的陆悦和阮博闻）在8项实验中得出一个有趣的发现：人、图像或声音等刺激物的逼近，会让参与者的情绪更为消极。这项发现给那些希望走近听众的公共演讲者或放大广告中产品形象的营销人员敲响了警钟。
挑战：如果迎面而来的是一个朋友，或是一场临近的假期，人们真的会排斥他们吗？涂小姐，捍卫你的研究吧！
Tu: Our research shows that people feel more negative toward stimuli when the stimuli appear to be oncoming in space. Our experiments included a range of images, such as English letters, a poster from a Chinese opera, a happy-face emoticon, and a picture of a smiling man. What’s more, we found the same effect with nonphysical stimuli—such as a cousin’s visit or other events—that were approaching in time or increasing in likelihood.
涂：我们的研究表明当刺激物从空间上看起来迎面而来时，人们对它的反应会更加消极。在研究中，我们使用了一系列的图像，比如一些英文单词、一张中国戏曲海报、一个笑脸表情符号和一张笑容可掬之人的照片。更重要的是，我们发现非物质刺激也会让人们产生相同的反应，比如一位表兄妹的来访或者其他事情，当它们在时间上逼近或者可能性有所增加时，也会让人产生负面情绪。
HBR: An approaching smiley face? That sounds like a scene from a nightmare. And a smirking stranger? No wonder research subjects got the creeps when these things came at them.
First we measured people’s feelings toward the images and events, so we were sure participants considered them to be positive. The happy-face emoticon was rated as 4.49, on average, on a 1-to-5 scale where 5 was “very positive.” Neutral-face and frowning-face emoticons were rated 3.18 and 1.59, respectively. The responses to the images of the man were similar: When he was smiling, neutral, or frowning, he was rated 5.14, 3.86, or 2.92, respectively, on a 1-to-7 positivity scale. In the experiments all the ratings declined when the stimuli were perceived to be approaching.
HBR:一个笑脸越来越近？听起来像是噩梦中的场景。还有傻笑的陌生人？怪不得它们的逼近会让研究对象浑身起鸡皮疙瘩。
我们首先测量了人们对这些图像和事情的反应，所以我们很确定参与者对它们的感觉都很正面。在1-5的数值范围中，其中5代表“非常正面”，笑脸表情符号的平均得分是4.49，面无表情和皱眉表情符号的得分分别是3.18和1.59。参与者对男性图像的反应与之相似：在1-7的数值范围中，当他微笑、面无表情或者皱眉时，他的得分分别是5.14、3.86和2.92。但是，在实验中我们发现，当这些刺激物被受试者视为是朝他们逼近时，所有的得分都下降了。
But what about the approach of a person I love? Or of a welcome event?
When I first put this interview on my calendar, I thought, “How wonderful—an opportunity to share my research!” But as the date neared, I grew apprehensive. What if I got a question I couldn’t answer? What if I couldn’t explain myself well? Even very positive things can have negative aspects, which become more prominent in our minds as they draw close.
但是如果迎面而来的是我爱的人呢？或者是一件受欢迎的事情呢？
当我最初把这次采访标到日历上时，我想，“太棒了，这可是一个分享我们研究成果的好机会！”但随着时间一天天逼近，我越发焦虑起来。倘若有的问题我回答不了怎么办？倘若我无法解释清楚怎么办？所以，即使非常积极的事情也有消极的一面，当它们越来越近时，我们脑中会更加凸显那些消极方面。
As for someone you love: Chances are, you feel a bit more fretful as the person approaches—you might worry that the person will ask something of you, for example—but those feelings may be overwhelmed by your happiness at being reunited. So you’re experiencing layers of feelings—some negative, most positive. In our research we tried to tease apart those confusing layers by comparing people’s feelings toward a gradually approaching individual with their feelings about someone who simply stayed near. We were able to show that although you may feel positive toward a loved one who approaches, you feel less positive than you would if that person were to remain near you.
至于你爱的人：情况可能是当他走近时，你会觉得有点烦躁，比如你可能担心他会问你什么事情，但是，相聚的幸福感很快就会占据上风。所以，你体验到的是多重感觉，有消极的，更多的是积极的。我们试图在研究中理清这些令人困惑的感觉层次，于是我们比较了人们对于以下两种情况的反应：一个是逐渐走进的人，一个是待在身旁的人。研究发现当你爱的人迎面走来时，你可能会产生积极反应，但是如果他一直待在你身旁的话，你的反应就没那么积极了。
My gut tells me that if I’m speaking to a group, my listeners will react more favorably if I get out from behind the podium and approach them.
Indeed they might. It’s all about those layers of feelings. If you step out and get close to your listeners, they might perceive you as warm and friendly—that’s one layer. But an undercurrent of negative feeling will increase as you get nearer. Without being able to articulate it, your listeners might feel intimidated or threatened. They might feel you’re invading their space. Same goes for a manager walking toward an employee. The manager probably doesn’t realize that with every step, the employee feels more negative about the manager. So it is one thing to stand close to people and quite another to walk closer to them.
直觉告诉我，演讲时我从讲台后面出来走近听众，他们的反应会更加积极。
的确有这种可能。这就是我所谓的多重感觉。当你走近听众时，他们可能会认为你很亲切、友善，这是一层感觉。但是随着你走得越来越近，负面情绪的暗流就会增加。听众可能会感觉到害怕或者受到威胁，至于为什么，他们也说不出来。他们可能觉得你入侵了他们的领地。同样的道理，当一位经理向员工走近时，经理可能没有意识到他每走近一步，员工对他的反应就越消极。所以，站在人们的旁边与走近他们是完全两码事。
The effect also may apply to ads showing products moving toward the viewer. If it’s a beautiful new car, the viewer might be pleased on one level that it’s closer. But on another, she’ll feel negative about its approach. To reduce other factors that might influence the subjects’ reactions, we usually had subjects view computerized images that grew larger and therefore appeared to approach.
当广告中展示的产品向观看者移近时，也会引起同样的反应。如果是一台漂亮的新车越来越近，观看者可能一方面觉得高兴，但是另一方面又会对这种展示方式产生消极反应。为了降低其他因素可能对受试者反应的影响，我们通常让受试者观看电脑图像，通过让电脑图像越变越大，让受试者感觉刺激物离他们越来越近。
How do you know participants didn’t perceive that they were approaching the stimuli?
In general, people perceive an enlarging image to be coming toward them. However, when we suggested to participants that they were approaching the stimuli, rather than the reverse, the aversion disappeared. We tested this on the image of the neutral-faced man. Approaching him didn’t make participants feel worse about him, as it did when subjects thought he was approaching.
你怎么知道参与者不认为是他们在一步步靠近刺激物呢？
一般来说，人们把一个不断扩大的图像视为朝他们靠近。但是，当我们对参与者指出是他们正在靠近刺激物，而不是刺激物走进他们时，他们的厌恶感就消失了。我们用面无表情之人的图像进行测试。当它朝受试者靠近时，受试者会产生排斥感；但是当参与者朝图像走近时，则没有这种感觉。
What about the time aspect: Should my editors stop making such a big deal about my deadlines?
The mind often treats space and time similarly. So a temporally approaching event can also be unsettling. It’s quite possible that a manager can unwittingly increase an employee’s negative feelings about a project by reiterating an approaching deadline. It would be especially annoying if the manager first scheduled a task, such as a meeting, for a time in the distant future and then moved it closer. Even if employees initially felt neutral about the meeting, the change would make them dread it. Increasing an event’s likelihood causes similar effects.
那么时间方面呢？编辑们是不是应该不要太强调我的截稿日期？
大脑对空间和时间的处理差不多。所以，一件日益迫近的事情会让人心绪不宁。当管理者不断强调一个即将到来的项目截止日期时，他可能不知不觉间增加了员工对项目的消极情绪。尤其令人讨厌的是管理者起初把一项任务（比如会议）安排在一个遥远的日子，然后把它提前。即使员工起初对会议并无特殊反应，但时间上的提前会让他们害怕。提高一件事情发生的可能性也会引起类似的反应。
What got you thinking about this topic?
I’d love to say we had an Isaac Newton moment when we discovered the “law” of approach aversion—that we saw a beach ball rolling toward us and wondered how we felt about it—but in truth, we were talking about what it’s like to be at a social event. You see someone in the crowd and think, “Hmm, that’s an attractive person. I’d like to talk to that person.” As he or she approaches, your feelings start to change. You worry, you fret, you feel threatened. We wondered: Why does that happen?
你们是怎么想到这个话题的？
我很想说我们发现靠近与厌恶“法则”时经历了醍醐灌顶的一刻，比如一个沙滩球朝我们滚过来，引发我们思考。事实上，我们当时讨论的是社交活动上的事情。你看到人群中的一个人，心里想，“真是个迷人的家伙。我真想跟这个人说话。”但是当他或者她朝你走来时，你的感觉就开始变化了。你开始担心、焦躁，甚至感觉受到了威胁。我们都很想知道其中的原因。
And why does it?
It probably has to do with evolution. People evolved to understand that stimuli pose a greater danger if they’re approaching, and we’re still wired that way. Just as, through eons of searching for food, we evolved a belief that scarce things are good, which is why we grab the last blue dress off the rack, even if we don’t need another blue dress—speaking from experience here.
原因是什么呢？
可能与进化论有关。在不断的进化和演变中，人们知道当刺激物向我们靠近时会带来更大的危险。直到今天，我们依然这样想。
How can a public speaker or a marketer apply your findings?
You might be better off starting a speech near the audience—maybe a short distance from the front row—and staying there. Show your product in close-up. Beware of moving toward people, shoving a product in their direction, or moving an event up. Their evolutionary instincts will kick in, and their opinion of you, the product, or the event will start to fall.
公共演讲家或者营销人员应该如何利用你们的发现呢？
演讲家可以选择站在一个离观众不远的地方，可能是离前排距离较近的地方，然后就呆在那里演讲，这样的演讲效果更好。营销人员可以采用特写镜头展示产品，但是尽量避免走近人们，或是把产品朝他们的方向推近，或将一件事情提前。否则，人们的进化本能就会作怪，从而影响对你、产品或者事情的看法。
涂艳苹|文 安德鲁·奥康奈尔|访
涂艳苹是芝加哥大学布斯商学院市场营销系博士生。
李茂|译 万艳|校
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