ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Philip Zimbardo - Psychologist
Philip Zimbardo was the leader of the notorious 1971 Stanford Prison Experiment -- and an expert witness at Abu Ghraib. His book The Lucifer Effect explores the nature of evil; now, in his new work, he studies the nature of heroism.

Why you should listen

Philip Zimbardo knows what evil looks like. After serving as an expert witness during the Abu Ghraib trials, he wrote The Lucifer Effect: Understanding How Good People Turn Evil. From Nazi comic books to the tactics of used-car salesmen, he explores a wealth of sources in trying to explain the psychology of evil.

A past president of the American Psychological Association and a professor emeritus at Stanford, Zimbardo retired in 2008 from lecturing, after 50 years of teaching his legendary introductory course in psychology. In addition to his work on evil and heroism, Zimbardo recently published The Time Paradox, exploring different cultural and personal perspectives on time.

Still well-known for his controversial Stanford Prison Experiment, Zimbardo in his new research looks at the psychology of heroism. He asks, "What pushes some people to become perpetrators of evil, while others act heroically on behalf of those in need?"

More profile about the speaker
Philip Zimbardo | Speaker | TED.com
TED2009

Philip Zimbardo: The psychology of time

Philip Zimbardo recomenda uma visão saudável do tempo

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O psicólogo Philip Zimbardo afirma que a felicidade e o sucesso são originados numa característica que a maioria de nós ignora: o jeito como nos orientamos em relação ao passado, presente e futuro. Ele sugere que a calibração da nossa perspectiva sobre o tempo é o primeiro passo para melhorar nossas vidas.
- Psychologist
Philip Zimbardo was the leader of the notorious 1971 Stanford Prison Experiment -- and an expert witness at Abu Ghraib. His book The Lucifer Effect explores the nature of evil; now, in his new work, he studies the nature of heroism. Full bio

Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.

00:18
I want to share with you
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Quero compartilhar com vocês
00:20
some ideas about the secret power of time,
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algumas idéias sobre o misterioso poder do tempo,
00:22
in a very short time.
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em pouco tempo.
00:25
Video: All right, start the clock please. 30 seconds studio.
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Vídeo: Certo, disparem o relógio. 30s estúdio.
00:28
Keep it quiet please. Settle down.
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Silêncio por favor. Quietos.
00:33
It's about time. End sequence. Take one.
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"Já Era Hora". Sequência final. Tomada um.
00:39
15 seconds studio.
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15s estúdio.
00:42
10, nine, eight, seven,
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10, 9, 8, 7,
00:45
six, five, four, three, two ...
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6, 5, 4, 3, 2...
00:52
Philip Zimbardo: Let's tune into the conversation
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Zimbardo: Vamos examinar a origem
00:54
of the principals in Adam's temptation.
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da conversa da tentação de Adão.
00:58
"Come on Adam, don't be so wishy-washy. Take a bite." "I did."
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Vamos Adão, não seja tão sem graça. Dê uma mordida. Eu mordi.
01:02
"One bite, Adam. Don't abandon Eve."
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Uma mordida, Adão. Não abandone Eva.
01:05
"I don't know, guys.
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Eu não sei pessoal.
01:08
I don't want to get in trouble."
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Não quero arrumar confusão.
01:10
"Okay. One bite. What the hell?"
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Certo, uma mordida. Que se dane!
01:15
(Laughter)
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(Risos)
01:17
Life is temptation. It's all about yielding, resisting,
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Vida é tentação. Trata-se de ceder, resistir,
01:20
yes, no, now, later, impulsive, reflective,
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sim, não, agora, depois, impulso, reflexão,
01:23
present focus and future focus.
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foco no presente, foco no futuro.
01:26
Promised virtues fall prey to the passions of the moment.
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Virtudes prometidas sucumbem às paixões do momento.
01:28
Of teenage girls who pledged sexual abstinence and virginity until marriage --
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Das adolescentes que prometeram abstinência sexual e virgindade até o casamento --
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thank you George Bush --
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obrigado George Bush --
01:33
the majority, 60 percent, yielded to sexual temptations within one year.
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a maioria, 60%, cedeu às tentações sexuais no primeiro ano.
01:37
And most of them did so without using birth control.
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E a maioria delas sem proteção.
01:40
So much for promises.
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O valor de uma promessa...
01:42
Now lets tempt four-year-olds, giving them a treat.
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Agora vamos tentar crianças de 4 anos, dando a elas um doce.
01:46
They can have one marshmallow now. But if they wait
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Elas podem comer um marshmallow agora. Mas se esperarem
01:48
until the experimenter comes back, they can have two.
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o pesquisador voltar, elas podem comer dois.
01:50
Of course it pays, if you like marshmallows, to wait.
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É claro que compensa, se você gosta de marshmallow, esperar.
01:53
What happens is two-thirds of the kids give in to temptation.
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Acontece que 2/3 das crianças cedem à tentação.
01:56
They cannot wait. The others, of course, wait.
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Não conseguem esperar. Os outros, claro, esperam.
01:59
They resist the temptation. They delay the now for later.
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Eles resistem à tentação. Eles postergam o agora pelo depois.
02:03
Walter Mischel, my colleague at Stanford,
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Walter Mischel, meu colega de Stanford,
02:05
went back 14 years later,
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voltou 14 anos depois,
02:07
to try to discover what was different about those kids.
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para tentar descobrir as diferenças naquelas crianças.
02:10
There were enormous differences between kids who resisted
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Existiam diferenças enormes entre as crianças que resistiram
02:12
and kids who yielded, in many ways.
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e as que cederam, em várias maneiras.
02:14
The kids who resisted scored 250 points higher on the SAT.
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As crianças que resistiram tiraram 250 pontos a mais no vestibular.
02:18
That's enormous. That's like a whole set of different IQ points.
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Isso é enorme. É como uma outra categoria de QI.
02:22
They didn't get in as much trouble. They were better students.
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Eles não arranjavam muita confusão. Eram melhores alunos.
02:25
They were self-confident and determined. And the key for me today,
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Tinham autoconfiança e determinação. O essencial para mim,
02:27
the key for you,
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o essencial para vocês,
02:29
is, they were future-focused rather than present-focused.
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é que eles eram voltados para o futuro em vez de para o presente.
02:32
So what is time perspective? That's what I'm going to talk about today.
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O que é perspectiva temporal? É isso que vou comentar hoje.
02:35
Time perspective is the study of how individuals,
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Perspectiva temporal é o estudo de como indivíduos,
02:38
all of us, divide the flow of your human experience
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todos nós, dividem o fluxo da experiência humana
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into time zones or time categories.
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em zonas ou categorias temporais.
02:43
And you do it automatically and non-consciously.
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E isso é feito automática e inconscientemente.
02:45
They vary between cultures, between nations,
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Os níveis variam entre culturas, nações,
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between individuals, between social classes,
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indivíduos, classes sociais,
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between education levels.
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níveis de educação.
02:51
And the problem is that they can become biased,
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E eles podem ficar tendenciosos.
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because you learn to over-use some of them and under-use the others.
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Aprendemos a usar mais um tipo do que outro.
02:57
What determines any decision you make?
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O que determina qualquer decisão que tomamos?
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You make a decision on which you're going to base an action.
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Tomamos uma decisão, que servirá de base para uma ação.
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For some people it's only about what is in the immediate situation,
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Alguns se preocupam somente como a situação imediata,
03:05
what other people are doing and what you're feeling.
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o que os outros estão fazendo e o que elas estão sentindo.
03:08
And those people, when they make their decisions in that format --
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Essas pessoas, as que tomam as decisões desse modo,
03:11
we're going to call them "present-oriented,"
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vamos chamar de "orientadas para o presente".
03:13
because their focus is what is now.
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Porque o foco está no agora.
03:15
For others, the present is irrelevant.
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Para outros, o presente é irrelevante.
03:17
It's always about "What is this situation like that I've experienced in the past?"
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A preocupação é: "Que tipo de experiência parecida eu já vivi no passado?"
03:20
So that their decisions are based on past memories.
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Então as decisões são baseadas nas memórias passadas.
03:23
And we're going to call those people "past-oriented," because they focus on what was.
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Vamos chamar essas pessoas de "orientadas para o passado". O foco é o que foi.
03:27
For others it's not the past, it's not the present,
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Para outros não é passado e nem o presente,
03:29
it's only about the future.
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o importante é o futuro.
03:31
Their focus is always about anticipated consequences.
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O foco está em antecipar as consequências.
03:33
Cost-benefit analysis.
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Análise de custo-benefício.
03:36
We're going to call them "future-oriented." Their focus is on what will be.
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Vamos chamar essas pessoas de "orientadas para o futuro". O foco é o que será.
03:39
So, time paradox, I want to argue,
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O paradoxo do tempo, quero argumentar,
03:41
the paradox of time perspective,
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o paradoxo da perspectiva do tempo,
03:43
is something that influences every decision you make,
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é algo que influencia cada decisão tomada,
03:46
you're totally unaware of.
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e nunca o notamos.
03:48
Namely, the extent to which you have one of these
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Ou seja, é o tamanho do viés que temos para cada
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biased time perspectives.
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uma das perspectivas temporais.
03:52
Well there is actually six of them. There are two ways to be present-oriented.
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Existem seis deles. Existem duas maneiras de ser orientado para o presente.
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There is two ways to be past-oriented, two ways to be future.
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Duas maneiras de ser orientado para o passado e duas para o futuro.
03:57
You can focus on past-positive, or past-negative.
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Podemos nos focar no passado-positivo ou passado-negativo.
04:01
You can be present-hedonistic,
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Podemos ser presente-hedonistas,
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namely you focus on the joys of life, or present-fatalist --
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isto é, o foco está nos prazeres da vida, ou presente-fatalistas.
04:06
it doesn't matter, your life is controlled.
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Não importa. Nossas vidas são controladas.
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You can be future-oriented, setting goals.
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Podemos ser orientados para o futuro, estabelecendo metas.
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Or you can be transcendental future:
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Ou podemos pensar no futuro transcendental,
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namely, life begins after death.
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ou seja, vida após a morte.
04:15
Developing the mental flexibility to shift time perspectives fluidly
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Desenvolver a flexibilidade mental para mudar as perspectivas temporais
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depending on the demands of the situation,
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de acordo com a situação,
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that's what you've got to learn to do.
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é o que devemos aprender a fazer.
04:22
So, very quickly, what is the optimal time profile?
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Rapidamente, qual é o perfil temporal ideal?
04:25
High on past-positive. Moderately high on future.
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Alto em passado-positivo. Moderadamente alto em futuro.
04:27
And moderate on present-hedonism.
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E moderado em presente-hedonista.
04:29
And always low on past-negative
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Sempre baixo em passado-negativo
04:32
and present-fatalism.
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e presente-fatalismo.
04:34
So the optimal temporal mix is what you get from the past --
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A mistura temporal ideal é o que tiramos do passado --
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past-positive gives you roots. You connect your family, identity and your self.
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passado-positivo nos dá raízes. Nos conectamos com a família, nossa identidade e nós mesmos.
04:41
What you get from the future is wings
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Do futuro pegamos as asas
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to soar to new destinations, new challenges.
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para voar a novos destinos, novos desafios.
04:45
What you get from the present hedonism
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Do presente-hedonimo tiramos
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is the energy, the energy to explore yourself,
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a energia para explorar a nós mesmos,
04:50
places, people, sensuality.
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lugares, pessoas, sensualidade.
04:54
Any time perspective in excess has more negatives than positives.
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Qualquer perspectiva temporal em excesso tem mais negativos do que positivos.
04:58
What do futures sacrifice for success?
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O que quem pensa no futuro sacrifica pelo sucesso?
05:01
They sacrifice family time. They sacrifice friend time.
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Sacrificam tempo com a família, com os amigos.
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They sacrifice fun time. They sacrifice personal indulgence.
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Sacrificam diversão. Sacrificam satisfação pessoal.
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They sacrifice hobbies. And they sacrifice sleep. So it affects their health.
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Sacrificam hobbies. Sacrificam o sono. A saúde é afetada.
05:12
And they live for work, achievement and control.
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Eles vivem para o trabalho, realização e controle.
05:15
I'm sure that resonates with some of the TEDsters.
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Tenho certeza que isso se aplica a muitos TEDsters.
05:18
(Laughter)
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(Risos)
05:20
And it resonated for me. I grew up as a poor kid in the South Bronx ghetto,
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E se aplica a mim. Eu cresci pobre no sul do gueto do Bronx
05:23
a Sicilian family -- everyone lived in the past and present.
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em uma família siciliana. Todos viviam no passado e no presente.
05:26
I'm here as a future-oriented person
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Estou aqui como uma pessoa orientada para o futuro
05:28
who went over the top, who did all these sacrifices
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que exagerou, que fez todos esses sacrifícios
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because teachers intervened, and made me future oriented.
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porque os professores intervieram, e me tornaram orientado para o futuro.
05:34
Told me don't eat that marshmallow,
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Me disseram para não comer o marshmallow,
05:36
because if you wait you're going to get two of them,
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porque se eu esperar, irei ganhar dois,
05:38
until I learned to balance out.
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até eu aprender a equilibrar.
05:41
I've added present-hedonism, I've added a focus on the past-positive,
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Acrescentei o presente-hedonista e o foco no passado-positivo.
05:46
so, at 76 years old, I am more energetic than ever, more productive,
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Então com 76 anos, sou mais ativo do que nunca, mais produtivo,
05:49
and I'm happier than I have ever been.
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mais feliz do que eu jamais estive.
05:52
I just want to say that we are applying this to many world problems:
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Estamos aplicando esse modelo para muitos problemas mundiais,
05:54
changing the drop-out rates of school kids,
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alterando o índice de abandono das escolas,
05:56
combating addictions, enhancing teen health,
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lutando contra o vício, aumentando a saúde juvenil,
05:59
curing vets' PTSD with time metaphors -- getting miracle cures --
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curando transtorno pós-traumático em soldados -- curas milagrosas --
06:02
promoting sustainability and conservation,
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promovendo sustentabilidade e conservação,
06:04
reducing physical rehabilitation where there is a 50-percent drop out rate,
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reduzindo o tempo de fisioterapia onde o abandono é de 50%,
06:08
altering appeals to suicidal terrorists,
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alterando os apelos dos terroristas suicidas,
06:10
and modifying family conflicts as time-zone clashes.
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e modificando conflitos familiares.
06:14
So I want to end by saying:
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Quero finalizar dizendo
06:16
many of life's puzzles can be solved
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que muitos enigmas da vida podem ser resolvidos
06:19
by understanding your time perspective and that of others.
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entendendo-se a sua perspectiva temporal e a dos outros.
06:22
And the idea is so simple, so obvious,
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A idéia é tão simples, tão óbvia,
06:24
but I think the consequences are really profound.
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mas as consequências são de fato profundas.
06:26
Thank you so much.
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Muito obrigado.
06:28
(Applause)
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(Aplausos)
Translated by Renan Botelho
Reviewed by Belucio Haibara

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ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Philip Zimbardo - Psychologist
Philip Zimbardo was the leader of the notorious 1971 Stanford Prison Experiment -- and an expert witness at Abu Ghraib. His book The Lucifer Effect explores the nature of evil; now, in his new work, he studies the nature of heroism.

Why you should listen

Philip Zimbardo knows what evil looks like. After serving as an expert witness during the Abu Ghraib trials, he wrote The Lucifer Effect: Understanding How Good People Turn Evil. From Nazi comic books to the tactics of used-car salesmen, he explores a wealth of sources in trying to explain the psychology of evil.

A past president of the American Psychological Association and a professor emeritus at Stanford, Zimbardo retired in 2008 from lecturing, after 50 years of teaching his legendary introductory course in psychology. In addition to his work on evil and heroism, Zimbardo recently published The Time Paradox, exploring different cultural and personal perspectives on time.

Still well-known for his controversial Stanford Prison Experiment, Zimbardo in his new research looks at the psychology of heroism. He asks, "What pushes some people to become perpetrators of evil, while others act heroically on behalf of those in need?"

More profile about the speaker
Philip Zimbardo | Speaker | TED.com