Earlier, I mentioned that the unique abilities of thinking logically, abstractly, and from a higher level are carried out in structures located in the neocortex. These parts of the brain are more developed in humans and allow us to reflect on ourselves and direct our own evolution. Because we are capable of conscious, memory-based learning, we can evolve further and faster than any other species, changing not just across generations but within our own lifetimes.
前面我提到，逻辑思维、抽象思维和更高层次的独特思维能力是在位于新皮质的结构中实现的。人类大脑的这些部分更加发达，使我们能够反思自己并指导自己的进化。因为我们能够进行有意识的、基于记忆的学习，所以我们可以比任何其他物种进化得更远、更快，不仅会在几代人之间发生变化，而且会在我们自己的一生中发生变化。

This constant drive toward learning and improvement makes getting better innately enjoyable and getting better fast exhilarating. Though most people think that they are striving to get the things (toys, bigger houses, money, status, etc.) that will make them happy, for most people those things don’t supply anywhere near the longterm satisfaction that getting better at something does. Once we get the things we are striving for, we rarely remain satisfied with them. The things are just the bait. Chasing after them forces us to evolve, and it is the evolution and not the rewards themselves that matters to us and to those around us. This means that for most people success is struggling and evolving as effectively as possible, i.e., learning rapidly about oneself and one’s environment, and then changing to improve.
这种不断学习和进步的动力让变得更好是一种天生的乐趣，而且快速变得更好也令人兴奋。尽管大多数人认为他们正在努力获得能让他们快乐的东西（玩具、更大的房子、金钱、地位等），但对大多数人来说，这些东西并不能提供与在某件事上做得更好所带来的长期满足感。一旦我们得到了我们所追求的东西，我们很少会对此感到满意。这些东西只是诱饵。追逐它们迫使我们进化，而对我们和我们周围的人来说，重要的是进化，而不是奖励本身。这意味着对于大多数人来说，成功就是尽可能有效地奋斗和发展，即快速了解自己和环境，然后进行改变以提高。

It is natural that it should be this way because of the law of diminishing returns. Consider what acquiring money is like. People who earn so much that they derive little or no marginal gains from it will experience negative consequences, as with any other form of excess, like gluttony. If they are intellectually healthy, they will begin seeking something new or seeking new depths in something old–and they will get stronger in the process. As Freud put it, “Love and work are the cornerstones of our humanness.”
由于收益递减规律，情况应该如此，这是很自然的。考虑一下获取金钱是什么样的。那些挣得太多而几乎没有或根本没有边际收益的人将会经历负面后果，就像任何其他形式的过度行为一样，比如暴饮暴食。如果他们智力健康，他们就会开始寻求新的东西或在旧的东西中寻求新的深度——他们会在这个过程中变得更强大。正如弗洛伊德所说：“爱和工作是我们人性的基石。”

The work doesn’t necessarily have to be a job, though I believe it’s generally better if it is a job. It can be any kind of long-term challenge that leads to personal improvement. As you might have guessed, I believe that the need to have meaningful work is connected to man’s innate desire to improve. And relationships are the natural connections to others that make us relevant to each other and to society more broadly.
这项工作不一定是一份工作，但我相信如果它是一份工作的话通常会更好。它可以是任何能够带来个人进步的长期挑战。正如你可能已经猜到的那样，我相信对有意义的工作的需求与人类与生俱来的进步愿望有关。关系是与他人的自然联系，使我们彼此之间以及更广泛的社会之间产生联系。

source:https://www.principles.com/principles/625270f1-de3b-490e-8e6b-0aee4fe0a4a2/