sexta-feira, 28 de março de 2014

58. How You Feel About Yourself Affects Your Work


Hello and welcome back1 to "As It Is". I’m Jim Tedder in Washington, with a program designed to2 help you learn3 and improve4 your American English.  Today we are going inside the human brain5 to see how and what people think.  Some researchers6 say there is a connection between how you feel about yourself, and how you do your job.

Then we will hear about children and music.  Young people who study music and play instruments are smarter than7 those who do not.  Right?  Some folks8 at Harvard University say, “Hold on.”9

We are very happy to have your brains thinking about what we are sending10 your way today on As It Is.

A new study says people who feel they lack11 social power find it harder12 to perform13 physical work.  The researchers say their study is the first to show that people who believe they lack influence in society feel the weight14 of the world.

Eun Hee Lee is a candidate for a doctoral degree15 in the psychology department at Britain’s University of Cambridge.  She says the people in the study were not suffering from16 the continuing deep sadness17 known as18 clinical depression.

                                                                                                
Instead19, Ms. Lee said, the study was based on how the participants saw themselves20.  They rated21 themselves on what level they thought22 they held23 in the social order.  They compared themselves to people they thought of as powerful24 and in control.  She described25 what the study team meant by26 “powerful.”

 “We defined being powerful as the one who has control over their own27 and others’ resources28; whereas29 being powerless30 as being the ones who31 [don’t] have their control over theirs and others' resources, and also have to [be] dependent to gain32 the resources that they need.”
                                    
She said powerless people continually feel unsure33. Researchers in the study examined participants to learn their feelings about their status, or level34, in society.  They presented them with a statement35 such as36, “I can get people to listen to what I say.”

The participants were asked to lift37 a number of boxes and guess38 their weight39The more40 powerless the people, the higher41 they estimated the weight of the containers42.

In a second test the researchers asked participants to sit in ways43 that seemed powerful44.  In one example they sat45 with one elbow46 on the arm of a chair47.  That position is domineering48, or commanding49.  Or, they sat with their hands under50 their thighs51, a restrictive position. 
People in the restrictive positions thought52 the boxes weighed more than they really did.  Those who sat in the more powerful way made better estimates of the boxes’ weight.

Finally, a number of participants were asked to remember a time in which53 they felt54 powerful or powerless.  Those who thought of a powerful time gave55 the best answers for the weight of several boxes56.  Those who remembered moments of powerlessness57 repeatedly58 said the boxes were heavier59 than they were.

Ms. Lee believes feelings of lack of power in humans might have developed from prehistoric times.  She says it might have been60 a way to keep61 early man from using up limited resources.  But she says that today, these feelings might not be good for people at work.

“It might mean62 we are kind of63 preventing64 ourselves automatically putting 100 percent effort65 into the work without us realizing [it], which could be damaging66.”

1.   welcome back = bem-vindo de volta
2.   designed to = projetado para
3.   learn = aprender
4.   improve = aperfeiçoar
5.   brain = cérebro
6.   researchers = pesquisadores
7.   smarter than = mais inteligentes do que
8.   Some folks = algumas pessoas
9.   “Hold on.” = espere um pouco
10.                  sending = enviando
11.                  lack = carecem de
12.                  find it harder = acham mais dificil
13.                  perform = realizar
14.                  weight = peso
15.                  doctoral degree = doutorado
16.                  suffering from = sofrendo de
17.                  deep sadness = tristeza profunda
18.                  known as = conhecida como
19.                  Instead = ao invés disso
20.                  saw themselves = viam a si mesmos
21.                  rated = classificaram
22.                  thought = achavam
23.                  held = ocupavam
24.                  powerful = poderoso(a)
25.                  described = descreveu
26.                  meant by = queria dizer por
27.                  control over their own = controle sobre eles proprios
28.                  resources = recursos
29.                  whereas  = enquanto que
30.                  powerless = impotente
31.                  the ones who = aqueles que
32.                  gain = adquirir
33.                  unsure = inseguro
34.                  level = nível
35.                  statement = declaração
36.                  such as = tais como
37.                  lift = levantar
38.                  guess = adivinhar
39.                  weight = peso
40.                  The more = quanto mais
41.                  higher = mais alto
42.                  containers = recipientes
43.                  ways = maneiras, formas
44.                  seemed powerful= pareciam poderosos
45.                  sat = sentaram
46.                  elbow = cotovelo
47.                  on the arm of a chair = no braço de uma cadeira
48.                  domineering = autoritario, dominador
49.                  commanding = autoritario, dominante
50.                  under = sob
51.                  thighs = coxas
52.                  thought = achavam, pensavam
53.                  in which = no qual
54.                  felt = sentiam-se
55.                  gave = deram
56.                  several boxes = várias caixas
57.                  powerlessness = impotencia
58.                  repeatedly = repetidamente
59.                  heavier = mais pesado
60.                  it might have been = pode ter sido
61.                  to keep = manter, impedir
62.                  mean = significar, querer dizer
63.                  kind of = como que, de certa forma
64.                  preventing = impedindo
65.                  effort = esforço
66.                  could be damaging = poderia ser prejudicial