来源：《新科学家》
原文刊登日期：2021年4月7日
本文适合英语二考生
Leonardo da Vinci said that a poet recognises perfection when there is nothing left to remove. In other words, less is more. But when solving problems, people tend to think the other way, adding elements rather than removing them.
列奥纳多·达·芬奇曾说过，当没有什么东西可以删除时，诗人就会意识到完美。换句话说，少即是多。但在解决问题时，人们倾向于用另一种方式思考，增加而不是减少元素。
Gabrielle Adams at the University of Virginia and colleagues asked people to complete several tasks where solutions involved either adding or subtracting parts. All of the experiments were designed so that subtraction would be one of the most efficient options.
弗吉尼亚大学的Adams和同事们要求受试者完成一些任务，其中的解决方案包括增加或减少部件。所有实验的最优解都是减法。
In one, around 200 people had to alter a Lego building to support a weight in order to gain a $1 bonus. The roof of the building was balancing precariously on just one support. A solution would be to add several bricks to better support the roof, which they were told would cost 10 cents each.
在其中一项实验中，约200名参与者必须改变乐高积木来支撑重物，以获得1美元的奖金。积木的顶部仅靠一根支撑物保持平衡，摇摇欲坠。一个解决方案是增加几块积木来更好地支撑顶部，但他们被告知每块积木要花10美分。
Another way of shoring up the structure was to simply remove one brick. Only 41 per cent of the control group opted to remove a brick, but when another group was prompted that removing bricks incurred no cost, this rose to 61 per cent. The team didn’t collect any demographic data for this part of the test.
另一种加固结构的方法是简单地移走一块积木。对照组中只有41%的人选择移除积木，但当另一组人被提示移除积木不需要任何费用时，这一比例上升到61%。在这部分测试中，研究小组没有收集任何人口统计数据。
In another task, around 300 people had to make a grid of 100 squares symmetrical by either adding or removing green tiles. When asked to take the test with no practice, only 49 per cent of people opted to remove tiles, but when given three practice runs before taking the test, this rose to 63 per cent. In this test, just over 40 per cent of participants were women.
在另一项任务中，大约300人需要通过添加或移除绿色瓷砖来制作一个由100个对称正方形组成的网格。在不做练习的情况下进行测试时，只有49%的人选择移除瓷砖，但在测试前进行三次练习后，这一比例上升到63%。在这项测试中，女性参与者的比例略高于40%。
During the research, the team spoke to a company with a newly appointed leader who asked staff for improvement suggestions. For every idea to remove a policy or rule, the leader received eight to add one.
在研究过程中，研究小组与一家有新领导上任的公司进行了交谈，新领导向员工征求改进建议。每有一个删除政策或规则的意见，领导就会得到8个添加政策或规则的意见。
In a pre-prepared Q&A, Adams said that balance bikes are a great example of the subtractive approach. “These are kids’ bikes without the pedals or the chain. Most people who have seen a toddler zipping down the street on a balance bike instantly recognise that subtractive invention as superior to the bulky additive change of training wheels.”
在事先准备好的问答中，亚当斯说平衡自行车是减法方法的一个很好的例子。“平衡自行车是没有踏板和链条的儿童自行车。大多数看到一个蹒跚学步的孩子骑着平衡自行车在街上飞驰的人都会立刻意识到这个减法的发明比笨重的辅助轮更棒。”
She said that this tendency to add complexity may cause us to miss potentially superior options and designs. “Addition may be culturally valued. It’s easier to demonstrate your contribution with an addition than a subtraction, and additions might get more praise.”
她说，这种增加复杂性的倾向可能会导致我们错过潜在的更好的选择和设计。“加法可能是有文化价值的。用加法比减法更容易展示你的贡献，加法可能会得到更多的赞扬。”