科学美国人60秒:Shy Fish Prefer to Follow Other Shy Fish

When you think of a leader, you may think of an individual who is above all bold. But a new study of fish called sticklebacks shows that shy individuals actually prefer to follow fish that are similarly timid.
当你想到领导时，可能浮现在你脑海中的是一个非常勇敢的人。但是，一项对棘鱼的最新研究表明，实际上害羞的鱼类更喜欢追随胆小的鱼儿。

Researchers had trios of sticklebacks with known personalities play follow the leader. The fish were placed in a tank that had some plastic plants at one end and some food hidden at the other. In some of the groups, a bold fish and a shy fish acted as leaders, while another shy fish followed. And in other groups, it was a bold fish that did the following. The researchers recorded whether the follower sallied forth more frequently with the fish that was behaviorally similar or the one that was different.
研究人员设置了几组棘鱼，三条为一组，每组中分别放置一条不同个性的鱼扮演领导者。他们把这些鱼放到一个大池子，池子的一端放上塑料的植物，而另一端则藏着一些食物。在有些组中，是由大胆的鱼和害羞的鱼扮演领导者的角色，而害羞的鱼儿相随。而在其他的组别中，有些勇敢的鱼却充当了追随者的角色。研究人员记录了追随者是否跟随行为相似的鱼或者与自己截然相反的鱼儿。

What they found is that shy fish were more likely to emerge from under cover when an equally wary fellow was already out there. Bold follower fish did not seem to care which leader they followed.
研究发现，害羞的鱼更有可能在有一只同样小心警惕的同伴出现时，不再隐藏自己的行迹。而勇敢的鱼儿们则好像并不在意它们追随的鱼是怎样的性格哦。

Of course, no matter which fish a stickleback chose to stick with, the bold fish did lead more expeditions over the course of the experiment than their more retiring friends. That’s because the bold fish initiated more trips, regardless of who might be tailing them. The findings are in the journal Biology Letters.
当然，无论棘鱼选择追随何种鱼类，与善于隐居的朋友相比，大胆的鱼类在实验的过程中存在更多的探险行为。这是因为无论谁追随自己，大胆的鱼儿都会开创更多的旅途。该研究结果发表在《生物学快报》杂志上。

The researchers write that “when offered a choice of leaders, sticklebacks prefer to follow individuals whose personality matches their own, but bolder individuals may, nevertheless, be able to impose their leadership, even among shy followers, simply through greater effort.” We may soon see if such tendencies also hold true in humans, when Americans decide who they’ll follow in November. Unless, of course, something fishy happens.
研究人员写道“当在选择领导人角色时，棘鱼喜欢追随与自己个性相同的个体，但是尽管如此，勇敢的鱼儿也会通过努力，在众多害羞的鱼儿中，施展自己的领导才能。”可能不久之后，我们就会发现，这样趋势在人类当中也同样适用，比如在11月份美国人民需要决定他们要追随娜个领袖。当然，除非有见不得人的勾当发生。