Why do we feel nostalgia? - Clay Routledge

譯者: Helen Chang 審譯者: S Sung

In the late 17th century,

在十七世紀後期

a medical student named Johannes Hofer noticed a strange illness

醫學院學生約翰內斯．霍弗 注意到一種奇怪的病

affecting Swiss mercenaries serving abroad.

影響到海外的瑞士傭兵

Its symptoms,

它的症狀包括疲勞、失眠

including fatigue,

insomnia,

irregular heartbeat,

心跳不規則、消化不良和發燒

indigestion,

and fever were so strong,

症狀常常強烈到士兵不得不退伍

the soldiers often had to be discharged.

As Hofer discovered, the cause was not some physical disturbance,

霍弗發現病因不是由於身體失調

but an intense yearning for their mountain homeland.

而是他們極度想念山上的家園

He dubbed the condition nostalgia,

他稱之為「懷舊思鄉」情結

from the Greek "nostos" for homecoming

希臘字的 "nostos" 是歸鄉

and "algos" for pain or longing.

而 "algos" 則是疼痛或渴望

At first, nostalgia was considered a particularly Swiss affliction.

一開始，懷舊思鄉被認為是 瑞士人特有的悲苦情懷

Some doctors proposed that the constant sound of cowbells in the Alps

有醫生宣稱，在阿爾卑斯山 常聽得到的牛鈴聲

caused trauma to the ear drums and brain.

造成耳膜和大腦的創傷

Commanders even forbade their soldiers from singing traditional Swiss songs

指揮官甚至禁止士兵 彈唱傳統的瑞士歌曲

for fear that they'd lead to desertion or suicide.

怕會導致他們叛逃或自殺

But as migration increased worldwide, nostalgia was observed in various groups.

但隨著全球移民的增加

懷舊思鄉到處可見

It turned out that anyone separated from their native place for a long time

原來，任何人長時間離開原居地

was vulnerable to nostalgia.

都容易懷舊思鄉

And by the early 20th century,

到二十紀初

professionals no longer viewed it as a neurological disease,

專家不再視之為神經性疾病

but as a mental condition similar to depression.

而是一種類似抑鬱症的精神狀態

Psychologists of the time speculated

當時的心理學家推測

that it represented difficulties letting go of childhood,

它代表難以放手童年

or even a longing to return to one's fetal state.

甚至渴望回到胎兒的狀態

But over the next few decades,

接下來幾十年

the understanding of nostalgia changed in two important ways.

對懷舊思鄉的理解 發生了兩個重要的改變

Its meaning expanded from indicating homesickness

它的意思自「思鄉」

to a general longing for the past.

擴大到一般性的「懷舊」

And rather than an awful disease,

它不再是一種可怕的疾病

it began to be seen as a poignant and pleasant experience.

而開始被視為既憂傷又愉快的經驗

Perhaps the most famous example of this

也許最著名的例子

was captured by French author Marcel Proust.

見於法國作家 馬塞爾 · 普魯斯特的作品

He described how tasting a madeleine cake he had not eaten since childhood

他描述當他吃到自幼時 就未曾嚐過的瑪德蓮蛋糕時

triggered a cascade of warm and powerful sensory associations.

觸發了排山倒海般 溫暖而強烈的知覺聯想

So what caused such a major reversal in our view of nostalgia?

是什麼大大逆轉了 我們對於懷舊思鄉的觀感呢？

Part of it has to do with science.

部分原因與科學有關

Psychology shifted away from pure theory

心理學自純理論轉變為

and towards more careful and systematic empirical observation.

仔細而系統化的經驗觀察

So professionals realized that many of the negative symptoms

專家們了解到許多負面的症狀

may have been simply correlated with nostalgia

可能只單純的與懷舊思鄉有關

rather than caused by it.

而不是被它引起的

And, in fact, despite being a complex emotional state

事實上，雖然懷舊思鄉 是種複雜的情緒狀態

that can include feelings of loss and sadness,

可能包含著失落感和哀傷

nostalgia doesn't generally put people in a negative mood.

通常不會使人陷入負面的情緒狀態

Instead, by allowing individuals to remember personally meaningful

而是讓人回想過去

曾與他人共享、有意義 和滿意的個人經驗

and rewarding experiences they shared with others,

nostalgia can boost psychological well-being.

懷舊反倒能提振心理的健康

Studies have shown that inducing nostalgia in people

研究顯示：誘導人們懷舊

can help increase their feelings of self-esteem and social belonging,

可以提昇他們的自尊和社會歸屬感

encourage psychological growth,

鼓勵心理成長

and even make them act more charitably.

甚至使他們更樂善好施

So rather than being a cause of mental distress,

所以，懷舊不是造成精神痛苦的原因

nostalgia can be a restorative way of coping with it.

而是能夠恢復精神、對抗痛苦的方式

For instance, when people experience negative emotional states,

例如，當人們經歷負面的情緒狀態

they tend to naturally use nostalgia to reduce distress

往往自然地傾向用懷舊來減少痛苦

and restore well-being.

恢復健康

Today, it seems that nostalgia is everywhere,

今日懷舊情結似乎無所不在

partially because advertisers have discovered how powerful it is

部分原因是廣告商已發現

它是種強大的營銷術

as a marketing technique.

It's tempting to think of this as a sign of us being stuck in the past,

把懷舊視為一種執著於過去的標記 或許有著若干吸引力

but that's not really how nostalgia works.

但這不真正是懷舊的作用

Instead, nostalgia helps us remember that our lives can have meaning and value,

相反的，懷舊幫我們記住 生活的意義和價值

helping us find the confidence and motivation

能幫助我們找到信心和動力

to face the challenges of the future.

去面對未來的挑戰