In the late 17th century, a medical student named Johannes Hofer noticed a strange illness affecting Swiss mercenaries serving abroad.
在17世纪末期 一名叫约翰·霍弗尔的医学生发现一种困扰着在海外服役的瑞士兵的怪病
Its symptoms, including fatigue, insomnia, irregular heartbeat, indigestion,
其症状包括 疲惫 失眠 心率不齐 消化不良
and fever were so strong, the soldiers often had to be discharged.
以及高烧 由于病情太严重 有的士兵必须被迫退役
As Hofer discovered, the cause was not some physical disturbance, but an intense yearning for their mountain homeland.
霍弗尔研究发现 这些症状不是由一些身体的不适引起的而是因为他们太思念自己的家乡
He dubbed the condition nostalgia, from the Greek "nostos" for homecoming and "algos" for pain or longing.
他称之为乡愁 nostos来源于希腊语回家一词 algos则意为疼痛或渴望

At first, nostalgia was considered a particularly Swiss affliction.
一开始 乡愁被认定为典型的瑞士病
Some doctors proposed that the constant sound of cowbells in the Alps caused trauma to the ear drums and brain.
一些医生觉得是阿尔卑斯山上奶牛脖子上的铃声对士兵的耳膜和大脑造成了直接损伤
Commanders even forbade their soldiers from singing traditional Swiss songs for fear that they'd lead to desertion or suicide.
指挥官甚至禁止士兵唱传统的瑞士歌曲担心他们分神或自杀
But as migration increased worldwide, nostalgia was observed in various groups.
但是随着世界上移民数量的增加 在不同的人群中发现了他们都会有乡愁
It turned out that anyone separated from their native place for a long time was vulnerable to nostalgia.
事实证明 无论是谁只要跟自己的家乡分开很长一段时间就很容易产生乡愁
And by the early 20th century, professionals no longer viewed it as a neurological disease,
在20世纪初 专家们不再把它看做是一种精神上的疾病
but as a mental condition similar to depression.
而是把它看做一种类似于抑郁的心理状态
Psychologists of the time speculated that it represented difficulties letting go of childhood,
那时心理学家猜测乡愁代表着对童年记忆的难以割舍
or even a longing to return to one's fetal state.
甚至是对婴儿时期的向往
But over the next few decades, the understanding of nostalgia changed in two important ways.
但是 在接下来的几十年里对乡愁的理解有了两种重要的改变
Its meaning expanded from indicating homesickness to a general longing for the past.
乡愁的含义将单纯的思乡延伸到对回到过去的一种普遍的渴望
And rather than an awful disease, it began to be seen as a poignant and pleasant experience.
有别于讨人厌的疾病 乡愁开始被视为一场深刻而愉快的经历
Perhaps the most famous example of this was captured by French author Marcel Proust.
法国作家马塞尔普鲁斯特在其着作（《追忆似水年华》）中描绘的乡愁可能是最着名的例子吧
He described how tasting a madeleine cake he had not eaten since childhood triggered a cascade of warm and powerful sensory associations.
他描述了由一块自童年以后再没吃过的玛德琳蛋糕而联想起来的童年里一系列温馨感人的场景
So what caused such a major reversal in our view of nostalgia?
所以是什么造成了我们对乡愁看法的巨大改变呢
Part of it has to do with science.
很大一部分原因是科学的发展
Psychology shifted away from pure theory and towards more careful and systematic empirical observation.
心理学不再是纯理论而是更加谨慎和系统的实证观察
So professionals realized that many of the negative symptoms may have been simply correlated with nostalgia rather than caused by it.
所以专家们意识到很多的消极症状很可能仅仅是与乡愁有关而不是由乡愁导致的
And, in fact, despite being a complex emotional state that can include feelings of loss and sadness,
事实上 尽管乡愁是一种带有失落和悲伤的复杂情绪状态
nostalgia doesn't generally put people in a negative mood.
但是 通常乡愁并不会导致消极情绪
Instead, by allowing individuals to remember personally meaningful and rewarding experiences
相反 通过让人记住有意义的事情
they shared with others, nostalgia can boost psychological well-being.
以及与他人分享经验乡愁可以促进心理健康
Studies have shown that inducing nostalgia in people can help increase their feelings of self-esteem and social belonging,
研究表明 怀有乡愁的人更易建立自尊心和社会归属感
encourage psychological growth, and even make them act more charitably.
以及促进心理的成熟甚至促使他们做更多慈善
So rather than being a cause of mental distress, nostalgia can be a restorative way of coping with it.
所以与其说乡愁是心理疾病的一种诱因不如说它是应对心理疾病的恢复方式
they tend to naturally use nostalgia to reduce distress and restore well-being.
他们倾向于通过自然的怀旧来减少痛苦和恢复健康
Today, it seems that nostalgia is everywhere,
如今 乡愁无处不在
partially because advertisers have discovered how powerful it is as a marketing technique.
一些原因是广告商们发现利用人们的乡愁作为一种市场营销手段很有用
It's tempting to think of this as a sign of us being stuck in the past, but that's not really how nostalgia works.
使人们相信这只是人们沉浸于过去无法自拔的一种表现 而不是真的想念家乡了
Instead, nostalgia helps us remember that our lives can have meaning and value, helping us find the confidence and motivation to face the challenges of the future.
相反乡愁能帮助我们相信生活是有意义和价值的 帮助我们找到自信 给予我们面对未来挑战的积极性