别有一番滋味在心头 读懂*生心中的乡愁

 

对所有大一新生来说，每年的九月都是激动人心的日子。许多人都是第一次走出家门，在一个新环境中生活。但在开学数周的喧嚣过后，激动的心情慢慢地被一丝乡愁所取代。

Homesickness manifests itself in many ways. You may miss mum’s cooking, your pets, or even your old bed. All this becomes a fond memory of the past. Homesickness can be a bitter feeling, especially when faced with the challenges of settling into an unfamiliar environment.

乡愁的表现方式可谓多种多样。你可能想念妈妈的厨艺、你的宠物、甚至是自己的旧床铺。林林总总汇集成对过去时光的美好记忆。乡愁是苦涩的，尤其当你置身陌生环境中，面临诸多挑战时。

But remember, you’re not alone. According to a recent BBC article, 70 percent of British college students experience homesickness. In this increasingly globalized world in which people migrate to far away places for education, work or a relationship, homesickness is a feeling shared by many adults.

但记住，你并不孤单。英国广播公司BBC近日报道称，70%的英国生饱受思乡之苦。在这个日益全球化的世界里，人们为了学业、工作或感情而远走他乡，许多成年人心中都弥漫着乡愁。

Relocating to a new place is not an easy process, particularly if you don’t speak the local language or are not familiar with local customs.

易地而居并非易事，尤其当你对当地语言与风俗一窍不通时。

Homesickness can have similar symptoms to depression, explains psychologist Caroline Schuster in an interview with the BBC. In extreme cases it can develop into a panic attack, she says, while it can also result in social withdrawal, sleep disruption, nightmares, and concentration problems.

心理学家卡洛琳•舒斯特在接受BBC采访时解释道，乡愁与抑郁症状相似。她表示，乡愁严重时可发展成恐慌症，同时也会导致逃避社交、睡眠障碍、噩梦连连以及注意力无法集中等问题。

The most famous adult to have suffered from homesickness is probably Odysseus, the hero of Homer’s epic poem, who spent 10 years on a journey trying to get home. It was the memories of his family that helped him get through those difficult times.

饱受思乡之苦的、最为著名的人物要数荷马史诗《奥德赛》中的英雄人物——奥德修斯，他历时十年才与家人团聚。正是凭借与家人有关的记忆，他才得以度过重重难关。

But the term homesickness, or nostalgia, wasn’t invented until the 17th century. It was considered a disorder by a Swiss physician, who attributed soldiers’ mental and physical discomfort to their longing to return home, “nostos” in Greek, and the accompanying pain, “algos”.

然而，乡愁一词（英文homesickness，又被称为“nostalgia”）直到17世纪才得以面世。一名瑞士医生视其为一种疾病，认为士兵们的身心不适源于他们的思乡之情。Nostalgia一词来自希腊语词，nostos（返乡）以及 algos（思乡之痛）。

Back then, people saw homesickness as a dangerous and even fatal disease, says Susan Matt, author of Homesickness: An American History. Gradually, it came to be considered childish and immature, she says, ill-fitting to a culture of capitalism and imperialism that required people to travel and explore.

《乡愁：一种美国历史》一书的作者苏珊•马特表示，那时人们将乡愁视为一种危险、甚至致命的疾病。她说，后来，乡愁被认为是幼稚、不成熟的表现，是人们不适应资本主义与帝国主义文化的表现。而这种症状需要他们在旅途中不断摸索克服。

Studies in recent years, however, have shown that nostalgia may have some benefits to our mental health.

而近年来的一些研究结果显示，乡愁可能对我们的心理健康大有裨益。

After a decade of surveys and research, Constantine Sedikides, a US social psychologist, found thatnostalgia is what makes us human.

经过近十载的调查研究，美国社会心理学家康斯坦丁•塞迪基德斯发现，乡愁是人性的一部分。

In an interview with The New York Times, Sedikides explains that nostalgia can counteract loneliness, boredom and anxiety. It makes people more generous toward strangers and more tolerant of outsiders. Couples feel closer and happier when they share nostalgic memories.

在接受《纽约时报》采访时，塞迪基德斯解释道，乡愁能够抵消孤独、厌烦以及焦虑。这使得人们在面对陌生人时更加慷慨，对外人更加宽容。分享过往的时光使得情侣间更加亲近和快乐。

Sedikides admits that nostalgia has its painful side, but the net effect is to make life seem more meaningful. When people speak wistfully of the past, they typically become more optimistic and inspired about the future. The trick is not to become obsessive about the past, but always to live life forward.

塞迪基德斯承认乡愁固然有痛苦的一面，但它可以有效地让生命更有意义。怀旧时，人们通常会变得更加乐观、对未来充满希望。而诀窍在于，不过过分迷恋过去，生活要一直向前看。