In the last decade a revolution has occurred in the way that scientists think about the brain. 在过去的10 年中，科学家们看待大脑的方式有了革命性的变化。 We now know that the decisions humans make can be traced to the firing patterns of neurons in specific parts of the brain. 现在，我们知道人类做出的决定来源于人脑特定部分神经元的放电模式。 These discoveries have led to the field known as neuroeconomics, which studies the brain's secrets to success in an economic environment that demands innovation and being able to do things differently from competitors. 这些发现开启了名为神经经济学的领域，它所研究的是经济环境下人脑的秘密，而这种环境需要人们有所创新，并能够以和竞争对手不同的方式做事。 A brain that can do this is an iconoclastic one. 能做到这一点的大脑是反传统的。 Briefly, an iconoclast is a person who does something that others say can't be done. 简单来说，反传统思考的人就是那些可以完成别人认为不能完成的事的人。

This definition implies that iconoclasts are different from other people, but more precisely, it is their brains that are different in three distinct ways: perception, fear response, and social intelligence. 这一定义意味着反传统的人有别于其他人，但更确切地说，是他们的大脑在三方面与他人有明显的区别： 洞察力、 恐惧反应和社交智力。 Each of these three functions utilizes a different circuit in the brain. 这三项功能分别运用大脑中不同的回路。 Naysayers might suggest that the brain is irrelevant, that thinking in an original, even revolutionary, way is more a matter of personality than brain function. 怀疑论者认为人脑与此是不相关的，他们认为以一种新颖的甚至是革命性的方式进行思考，是人的性格而非大脑功能所致。 But the field of neuroeconomics was born out of the realization that the physical workings of the brain place limitations on the way we make decisions. 但神经经济学领域是在人们意识到人脑的物理工作限制了我们做决定这一点之后才诞生的。 By understanding these constraints, we begin to understand why some people march to a different drumbeat. 通过了解这些制约因素，我们开始理解为什么有些人会有不同的看法了。

The first thing to realize is that the brain suffers from limited resources. 首先要知道的是大脑资源的有限性。 It has a fixed energy budget, about the same as a 40 watt light bulb, so it has evolved to work as efficiently as possible. 它有固定的能源预算，大约像一盏40 瓦的灯泡，所以它已进化到可以尽可能高效率地工作了。 This is where most people are impeded from being an iconoclast. 这就是大多数人无法成为反传统思考者的原因所在。 For example, when confronted with information streaming from the eyes, the brain will interpret this information in the quickest way possible. 例如，当面对从眼睛里流露出来的信息时，大脑将尽可能以最快的方式解释此信息。 Thus it will draw on both past experience and any other source of information, such as what other people say, to make sense of what it is seeing. 因此，大脑会利用过去的经验及其他信息源（比如别人说了什么），来弄清楚自己所看到的东西。 This happens all the time. 这种情况始终都存在。 The brain takes shortcuts that work so well we are hardly ever aware of them. 大脑采用的捷径非常有效，以至于我们几乎无法察觉。 We think our perceptions of the world are real, but they are only biological and electrical rumblings. 我们认为我们对世界的感知都是真实的，但这些只是生物上和电学上的迹象。 Perception is not simply a product of what your eyes or ears transmit to your brain. 感知不仅仅是你的眼睛或耳朵传输到大脑的产物。 More than the physical reality of photons or sound waves, perception is a product of the brain. 与光子或声波这样的物理现象不同，感知是大脑的产物。

Perception is central to iconoclasm. 感知是反传统主义的核心。 Iconoclasts see things differently to other people. 反传统思维者与其他人看待事情的方式是不同的。 Their brains do not fall into efficiency pitfalls as much as the average personas brain. 他们的大脑不会像一般人的大脑那样陷入效率优先的陷阱里。 Iconoclasts, either because they were born that way or through learning, have found ways to work around the perceptual shortcuts that plague most people. 无论是天生如此还是后天学习所致，反传统思维者已经找到了那些大多数人所不能找到的认知捷径。 Perception is not something that is hardwired into the brain. 观念不是深深植入大脑的东西， It is a learned process, which is both a curse and an opportunity for change. 它是一个学习的过程，这个过程对于改变既是灾难也是机会。 The brain faces the fundamental problem of interpreting physical stimuli from the senses. 大脑面临着把感官转化为物理刺激这一基本问题。 Everything the brain sees, hears, or touches has multiple Interpretations. 大脑看到、听到或接触到的一切事物都有多种解释。 The one that is ultimately chosen is simply the brain's best theory. 人们最终选择的正是关于大脑解释的最佳理论。 In technical terms, these conjectures have their basis in the statistical likelihood of one interpretation over another and are heavily influenced by past experience and, importantly for potential iconoclasts, what other people say. 从技术角度来讲，这些推测是因人而异的，因为这些大脑中的推测或想法通常是基于类似数据分析或整理等方式来获得的，所以这些方面会深受过去的经验的影响。对于那些潜在的反传统思维者来说，他们更多的是受他人言论的影响。

The best way to see things differently to other people is to bombard the brain with things it has never encountered before. 以不同的方式看待事物的最好办法是用大脑以往从未接触过的事物来刺激大脑。 Novelty releases the perceptual process from the chains of past experience and forces the brain to make new judgments. 新奇的事物把认知过程从以往经验的链条上抽离出来，迫使大脑做出新的判断。 Successful iconoclasts have an extraordinary willingness to be exposed to what is fresh and different. 成功的反常规思考者有非同寻常的意愿，去接触新鲜的和异常的事物。 Observation of iconoclasts shows that they embrace novelty while most people avoid things that are different. 观察表明反常规思考者很欢迎新奇的事物，而大多数人避免异常的事物。

The problem with novelty, however, is that it tends to trigger the brain's fear system. 然而，新颖性的问题在于它会触发大脑的恐惧系统。 Fear is a major impediment to thinking like an iconoclast and stops the average person in his tracks. 恐惧是反传统思维的主要障碍，它会阻碍一般人的思维发展。 There are many types of fear, but the two that inhibit iconoclastic thinking and people generally find difficult to deal with are fear of uncertainty and fear of public r/d/cu/e. 恐惧有很多种，但是妨碍反传统思维且人们通常觉得难以应付的两种，是对世事无常和公众愚弄的恐惧。 These may seem like trivial phobias. 这些看起来像是无足轻重的恐惧， But fear of public speaking, which everyone must do from time to time, afflicts one-third of the population. 但这种每个人时不时都会犯的对于公众演讲的恐惧，却折磨了（世界上）三分之一的人。 This makes it too common to be considered a mental disorder. 它太常见，所以很少有人把它看作一种精神疾病， It is simply a common variant of human nature, one which iconoclasts do not let inhibit their reactions. 人们通常认为它只是人类天性中另一种常见的变体，而反传统主义者不会让这种变体来妨碍他们的反应。

Finally, to be successful iconoclasts, individuals must sell their ideas to other people. 最后，要成为一个成功的反传统者，个人必须向别人“出售”他们的创意， This is where social intelligence comes in. 这就是社会智力的来源。 Social intelligence is the ability to understand and manage people in a business setting. 社会智力是在商务环境下理解和管理别人的一种能力。 In the last decade there has been an explosion of knowledge about the social brain and how the brain works when groups coordinate decision making. 在过去的十年里，有关社会脑及群体协调决策时大脑的工作原理方面的知识飞速增长。 Neuroscience has revealed which brain circuits are responsible for functions like understanding what other people think, empathy, fairness, and social identity. 神经科学已经揭示哪些脑回路负责哪项具体功能，如了解其他人的想法、同感力、公正性及社会身份。 These brain regions play key roles in whether people convince others of their ideas. 在使别人信服他们的创意时，这些脑区域发挥了关键性作用。 Perception is important in social cognition too. 洞察力在社会认知方面也很重要。 The perception of someone's enthusiasm, or reputation, can make or break a deal. 一个人对激情、对名声的看法，可以决定一项交易成功与否。 Understanding how perception becomes intertwined with social decision making shows why successful iconoclasts are so rare. 对于洞察力和社会决策相互关系的理解表明了成功的反传统者为何如此稀少。

Iconoclasts create new opportunities in every area from artistic expression to technology to business. 反传统思维的人为每个领域都创造了新的机会，包括从艺术表达到技术再到商业。 They supply creativity and innovation not easily accomplished by committees. 他们提供了管理层都不能轻易实现的创造力和创新力。 Rules aren't important to them. 规则对于他们来说并不是很重要。 Iconoclasts face alienation and failure, but can also be a major asset to any organization. 反传统者也会遭遇别人的孤立，会失败，但他们也可以是任何组织中的宝贵财富。 It is crucial for success in any field to understand how the iconoclastic mind works. 在任何领域里，了解反传统者大脑的运转模式，对于成功来说都是至关重要的。