別有一番滋味在心頭 讀懂大學生心中的鄉愁

September is an exciting month in every college freshman’s life. For many, it’s the first time they leave home to live in a new environment. But after the hustle and bustle of the first few weeks, excitement gives way to a less enjoyable emotion — homesickness.
對所有大一新生來說，每年的九月都是激動人心的日子。許多人都是第一次走出家門，在一個新環境中生活。但在開學數週的喧囂過後，激動的心情慢慢地被一絲鄉愁所取代。

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.
鄉愁的表現方式可謂多種多樣。你可能想念媽媽的廚藝、你的寵物、甚至是自己的舊牀鋪。林林總總彙集成對過去時光的美好記憶。鄉愁是苦澀的，尤其當你置身陌生環境中，面臨諸多挑戰時。

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.
但記住，你並不孤單。英國廣播公司BBC近日報道稱，70%的英國大學生飽受思鄉之苦。在這個日益全球化的世界裏，人們爲了學業、工作或感情而遠走他鄉，許多成年人心中都瀰漫着鄉愁。

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.
易地而居並非易事，尤其當你對當地語言與風俗一竅不通時。

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.
心理學家卡洛琳•舒斯特在接受BBC採訪時解釋道，鄉愁與抑鬱症狀相似。她表示，鄉愁嚴重時可發展成恐慌症，同時也會導致逃避社交、睡眠障礙、噩夢連連以及注意力無法集中等問題。

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.
飽受思鄉之苦的、最爲著名的人物要數荷馬史詩《奧德賽》中的英雄人物——奧德修斯，他歷時十年才與家人團聚。正是憑藉與家人有關的記憶，他才得以度過重重難關。

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，鄉愁一詞（英文homesickness，又被稱爲“nostalgia”）直到17世紀才得以面世。一名瑞士醫生視其爲一種疾病，認爲士兵們的身心不適源於他們的思鄉之情。Nostalgia一詞來自希臘語詞，nostos（返鄉）以及 algos（思鄉之痛）。

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.
《鄉愁：一種美國曆史》一書的作者蘇珊•馬特表示，那時人們將鄉愁視爲一種危險、甚至致命的疾病。她說，後來，鄉愁被認爲是幼稚、不成熟的表現，是人們不適應資本主義與帝國主義文化的表現。而這種症狀需要他們在旅途中不斷摸索克服。

Studies in recent years, however, have shown that nostalgia may have some benefits to our mental health.
而近年來的一些研究結果顯示，鄉愁可能對我們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.
經過近十載的調查研究，美國社會心理學家康斯坦丁•塞迪基德斯發現，鄉愁是人性的一部分。

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《紐約時報》採訪時，塞迪基德斯解釋道，鄉愁能夠抵消孤獨、厭煩以及焦慮。這使得人們在面對陌生人時更加慷慨，對外人更加寬容。分享過往的時光使得情侶間更加親近和快樂。

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.
塞迪基德斯承認鄉愁固然有痛苦的一面，但它可以有效地讓生命更有意義。懷舊時，人們通常會變得更加樂觀、對未來充滿希望。而訣竅在於，不過過分迷戀過去，生活要一直向前看。