>>>>> 推荐1本中级英文书 / 雅思6-6.5分
刚读完《Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus》。Goodreads 上约 20 万人打出 3.58/5,和我的整体感受接近:有启发,但不算精彩。
前三分之一最值得读,核心是两性在亲密关系中的思维与沟通差异:男性更偏向解决问题、独自消化压力,女性更倾向通过倾诉获得理解与连接。这些差异能解释不少恋爱婚姻关系中的日常摩擦,读时会有些“被说中”的感觉。后三分之二,如 Love Letter、90/10 原则、洞穴与波浪、记分方式等,虽然提供了一些可操作工具,但写法偏理论化,观点也不够新鲜,在别的书里也多少见过。此外,这本书最大的问题是:案例太多、反复解释,有凑字数之嫌;如果全书精简掉四分之一,我觉得几乎不会影响核心内容,反而会更好读。
从英语学习的角度来看,这本书语言难度约 B1–B2,对应雅思 6–6.5。遣词造句都比较简单,抽象概念也大多通过生活中的夫妻对话和具体案例来解释,我几乎没怎么查词典就读完了。所以如果你已经读过一些简单的英文原版书,想从初级难度往中级过渡,这本书会很合适。
进入介绍部分:
《Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus》
精彩程度:★★★☆☆
> 总字数:90200
> 不重复词汇量:2900
> 阅读难度:中级,B1(雅思6-6.5分)
> 书籍类别:心理类,两性关系 / 亲密关系 / 沟通心理 / 婚恋关系
> 可能适合的人群:
正在恋爱、已婚,或希望改善亲密关系的人;
经常因为“对方为什么不能理解我”而产生矛盾的人;
对男女沟通差异、情绪需求和婚恋心理感兴趣的人;
想学习如何更好地倾听、表达需求、减少争吵的人;
> 内容简介
《Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus》以“男人来自火星、女人来自金星”这一比喻为核心,讨论亲密关系中男女在沟通方式、情绪需求和处理问题方式上的差异。比如,当女性抱怨工作或生活中的烦恼时,她很多时候真正需要的是倾听和理解,但男性却很容易立刻进入“Mr. Fix-It”模式,不断给出解决方案;而当男性压力很大时,他往往会进入自己的“洞穴”,暂时沉默和独处,女性却可能把这种沉默理解成冷漠和疏远。
全书就围绕这些亲密关系中的错位展开,进一步讨论倾听、独处、争吵、表达需求、亲密感变化以及如何长期维持感情。它真正想表达的核心是:很多时候,我们不是不会爱,而是一直在用“自己希望被爱而非对方希望的方式”去爱另一个人。
★好句摘录:
1- 男女天生存在的差异
Men are from Mars, women are from Venus. Imagine that long ago the Martians and the Venusians met, fell in love, and had happy relationships together because they respected and accepted their differences. Then they came to Earth and amnesia set in: they forgot they were from different planets. Without the awareness that we are supposed to be different, men and women are at odds with each other. We usually become angry or frustrated with the opposite sex because we have forgotten this important truth.
这段话是全书的核心比喻,指出男女在思维和行为模式上存在本质的跨星球级差异,提醒我们在亲密关系中不要用自己的标准去要求对方,而是要学会接纳并尊重彼此的“不同”。
2- 面对压力的不同反应
When a man is stressed he will withdraw into the cave of his mind and focus on solving a problem. He picks the most urgent problem or the most difficult. He becomes so focused on solving this one problem that he temporarily loses awareness of everything else. When a woman is stressed she feels an overwhelming need to talk about her feelings and all the possible problems that are associated with her feelings. When she begins talking she does not prioritize.
这一段概括了男女在面对压力时截然相反的应对机制。了解这一点能有效帮助双方避免在情绪低谷时产生误解,从而减少“他不理我”或“她太唠叨”这类无谓的摩擦与争吵。
3- 两性在情感需求上的根本区别
Women need to receive caring, understanding, respect, devotion, validation, and reassurance. Men need to receive trust, acceptance, appreciation, admiration, approval, and encouragement. When a man's primary needs are met, he is able to give more to a woman. When a woman is feeling loved in the way she needs to be loved, she will increasingly give a man the love he needs. The secret of empowering a man is never to try to change him. The secret of empowering a woman is to listen to her.
这段直观地揭示了男女在情感核心需求上的差异。很多时候A给予的并非B真正想要的,这段话能启发我们去用心识别并满足伴侣真正的内在需求,进而建立更加健康长久的亲密关系。