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After witnessing the violent rage shown by babies whenever deprived of an item they considered their own,
在目睹婴儿在被夺走视为己有的物品继而哇哇大哭之后，
Jean Piaget, a founding father of child psychology, observed something profound about human nature.
儿童心理学之父尚·皮亚杰观察到了与人性有关的重要发现。
Our sense of ownership emerges incredibly early. Why are we so clingy?
我们的拥有欲极早便出现。为何我们那么依恋自己的物品？
There's a well-established phenomenon in psychology known as the endowment effect
心理学上有个公认的现象，称为禀赋效应，
where we value items much more highly just as soon as we own them.
即我们得到一件物品后马上就给它很高的价值。
In one famous demonstration, students were given a choice between a coffee mug or a Swiss chocolate bar as a reward for helping out with research.
在一个著名的实验中，学生可选择咖啡杯或一条瑞士巧克力棒作为协助研究的报酬
Half chose the mug, and half chose the chocolate.
一半学生选择咖啡杯，另一半选择巧克力。
That is, they seemed to value the two rewards similarly.
可见学生评估奖赏的价值都是相近的。
Other students were given a mug first and then a surprise chance to swap it for a chocolate bar, but only 11% wanted to.
其他学生起初获发咖啡杯，之后有机会将咖啡杯换成巧克力棒，但只有11%的学生希望更换奖品。
Yet another group started out with chocolate, and most preferred to keep it rather than swap.
而另一批学生起初获发巧克力棒，大多数学生宁可保留巧克力棒，而不选择更换咖啡杯。
In other words, the students nearly always put greater value on whichever reward they started out with.
换言之，对一开始获发的奖赏，学生几乎都给予较高的价值。
Part of this has to do with how quickly we form connections between our sense of self and the things we consider ours.
这部分取决于我们要多迅速可以将自我意识和我们认为属于自己的事物建立起联系
That can even be seen at the neural level.
这甚至可以在神经层面上观察到。
In one experiment, neuroscientists scanned participants' brains
在一个实验中，神经学家对参与者的大脑进行扫描，
while they allocated various objects either to a basket labeled 'mine,' or another labeled, 'Alex's.'
同时他们将各种物品要么分配在一个篮子里，标记“我的”，要么放在另一个篮子里，标记“亚力克斯的”。
When participants subsequently looked at their new things,
当参与者看到那些标记属于自己的新物品，
their brains showed more activity in a region that usually flickers into life whenever we think about ourselves.
他们的大脑显示出更高的活跃度，尤其是在想起生活片段及想到我们自己的区域。
Another reason we're so fond of our possessions is that from a young age we believe they have a unique essence.
另一个我们如此喜爱我们所有物品的原因，是从儿时起我们便相信自己的物品有独特的意义。
Psychologists showed us this by using an illusion to convince three to six-year-olds they built a copying machine,
心理学家利用一个假象来解释这种现象，他们告诉一群三到六岁的儿童他们造了一个复制机，
a device that could create perfect replicas of any item.
可以完美复制世界上任何一件物品。
When offered a choice between their favorite toy or an apparently exact copy, the majority of the children favored the original.
当让这些儿童在自己原来的玩具和一个一模一样的复制品中作出选择时，大多数孩子会选择原来的玩具。
In fact, they were often horrified at the prospect of taking home a copy.
事实上，将复制品带回家的想法让很多孩子感到恐惧。
This magical thinking about objects isn't something we grow out of.
这种对物品的特殊感情并不会随着我们的成长而消失。
Rather it persists into adulthood while becoming ever more elaborate.
相反，成年后这种感情变得更加复杂。
For example, consider the huge value placed on items that have been owned by celebrities.
比如，名人拥有过的物品会被赋以天价。
It's as if the buyers believed the objects they'd purchased were somehow imbued with the essence of their former celebrity owners.
就好像买家相信这些他们买下的物品蕴藏着前任名人拥有者的精髓。
For similar reasons, many of us are reluctant to part with family heirlooms which help us feel connected to lost loved ones.
出于同样的原因，我们中的许多人不愿与传家宝分离，因为它们让我们感到自己与故去的亲人仍联结在一起。
These beliefs can even alter our perception of the physical world and change our athletic abilities.
这些信念甚至还可以改变人们对现实世界的感知，而且还会改变我们的运动能力。
Participants in a recent study were told they were using a golf putter once owned by the champion Ben Curtis.
在最近一项研究中，参与者被告知他们所使用的高尔夫球杆曾属于高尔夫冠军本·柯蒂斯。
During the experiment, they perceived the hole as being about a centimeter larger
在这个试验中，他们认为高尔夫球洞大约要大1厘米，
than controlled participants using a standard putter and they sank slightly more putts.
相比较那些使用普通的球杆控制组，而且他们进球的次数也会稍多。
Although feelings of ownership emerge early in life, culture also plays a part.
尽管所有权意识出现得很早，文化对其也有影响。
For example, it was recently discovered that Hadza people of northern Tanzania
比如说，人们最近发现坦桑尼亚北部的哈扎人，
who are isolated from modern culture don't exhibit the endowment effect.
他们与现代社会隔绝，没有显示出禀赋效应。
That's possibly because they live in an egalitarian society where almost everything is shared.
这也许是因为他们生活在一个平等主义的社会中，在那里每一件物品都是共享的。
At the other extreme, sometimes our attachment to our things can go too far.
在另一个极端，有时我们对自己的物品过度依恋。
Part of the cause of hoarding disorder is an exaggerated sense of responsibility and protectiveness toward one's belongings.
囤积癖的形成的部分原因，是对自己所拥有的物品的一种夸张的责任感和保护欲。
That's why people with this condition find it so difficult to throw anything away.
这就是为什么囤积狂对于丢弃任何东西都感到非常困难。
What remains to be seen today is how the nature of our relationship with our possessions will change with the rise of digital technologies.
当今世界中有待观察的是，我们与我们的所有物之间的关系如何随着数码科技的发展而变化。
Many have forecast the demise of physical books and music, but for now, at least, this seems premature.
很多人预测实体书和音乐将会没落，但至少现在这似乎为时过早。
Perhaps there will always be something uniquely satisfying about holding an object in our hands and calling it our own.
或许我们认为手持一件视之为己的物品，会为我们带来独一无二的满足感。
