Applause is a sign of appreciation after a good performance. Right? Actually, a new study finds that how enthusiastically you clap can be strongly influenced by the volume and frequency of the audience clapping around you.
掌声是对一场精彩表演的赞美。对吗?实际上,一项研究证明你鼓掌的热情程度会深受你周围观众掌声的数量和频率的影响。
To test how applauding behavior spreads in groups, researchers filmed six different sets of university students who were told to clap after listening to an academic lecture.
为了验证鼓掌行为是如何在人群中传递的,研究人员拍摄了不同组的大学生,并要求他们在听完学术讲座后鼓掌。
The videos showed that people were strongly swayed by other audience members, or even by just one particularly influential clapper. Applause incidents averaged 9-15 claps per person, but would swell to as many as 30 claps solely based on an individual applause leader. The spasm stopped in much the same way: when one person ceased clapping it triggered a larger group dynamic.
视频显示,人们总是深受其他成员的影响,有时甚至只受到某一特殊鼓掌者的影响。在鼓掌过程中,平均每人鼓掌9至15次,但如果有个人领先鼓掌,那么平均每人鼓掌的次数将增加到30次。掌声停下来的方式也类似:当这个人不再鼓掌时,那么便会触动一大群观众的停止拍手。
The study is in the Journal of the Royal Society Interface and is part of a larger effort to understand social behavior and how it can spread within a group.
这项研究发表在《皇家学会界面杂志》上,是了解社会行为及其如何在群体传播的另一项努力的一部分。
So the next time you see a dull performance, remember, the desire to hold back on clapping might be out of your hands.
因此下次你看了一场枯燥的表演时,记住你是无法左右自己不愿鼓掌的欲望的。