懷舊吧，中國80后

by Amanda R. Martinez

In late 2010， in the eleven days after an online video featuring two young men performing Michael Jacksons “Billie Jean” was posted， the film was viewed more than seven million times， provoking an 1）outpouring of comments from Chinese twenty and thirtysomethings who confessed to being moved to tears. The same generational 2）cohorts have also been flocking to the countrys few remaining staterun department stores. With their 3）hodgepodge of merchandise， the stores bear a striking resemblance to Americas 4）five-and-dimes—save for the faded Mao posters and the use of 5）abaci to tally up orders—and are among the only places where young people can find guohuo， the state-produced consumer products they grew up with.

Such outbreaks of bittersweet sentiments are perhaps an expression of Chinas strong interest in its own history， or attempts at maintaining a sense of cultural continuity. But recent psychological research on the cognitive function of nostalgia suggests that the cause of this wave could be the post-eighties 6）contemporary social experience.

A number of studies have revealed that when we suffer from certain psychological 7）ailments—loneliness， social isolation， self-doubt， negative mood， and the feeling that life is meaningless—nostalgia can act as a coping mechanism. Through nostalgia， the researchers claimed， we bring back to the surface evidence of past triumphs and close relationships， times when our lives felt safe and ordered.

But nostalgia could be a source of mental 8）resilience and motivation. “When you become nostalgic， you dont become past-oriented. You want to go out there and do things.” Constantine Sedikides， a psychologist and nostalgia expert at the University of Southampton， said.

If there is a poster population for nostalgias selfregulatory effects， it is Chinas post-eighties generation. As the nations first generation of only children， the posteighties 9）are predisposed to loneliness. They came of age 10）in tandem with Chinas transition to a more market-based economy， a fateful stroke of timing through which they were enlisted as involuntary 11）trailblazers， tasked with defining what it means to be both modern and Chinese. While their parents received state-appointed factory jobs and governmentsubsidized housing， they were encouraged to pursue their dreams amidst a 12）fluctuating social structure with few defined paths. Studying hard and making top grades became a generational cornerstone； academic diligence， it was understood， would lead to a more fulfilling professional life， and greater wealth. But the emphasis on education has produced more university graduates than positions with which to employ them.

Now in their late twenties or early thirties， the post-eighties are trying to navigate a 13）desolate job market， often as the sole financial providers for both their children and their parents （as is Chinas custom）. Many left their rural hometowns for the more prosperous cities only to face 14）vicious competition for scarce white-collar jobs. To vie for scant promotions， they work eleven-hour days and engage in 15）brutal office politics. Housing costs are out of reach for most， with the real-estate price-toincome ratio in cities like Shanghai and Beijing as high as twenty-three to one， yet post-eighties men are under 16）tremendous pressure to own a home before they propose marriage. Add to all of this urban overcrowding， 17）unprecedented pollution， and a barrage of food-safety scandals （in the last six months alone， there have been rumors of 18）anthrax in beef， rat meat sold as lamb， chicken laced with unsafe levels of 19）antibiotics， thousands of dead pigs found in a river that supplies Shanghais water， and the discovery that the countrys bottled water may be as bad or worse than its tap water）， and the resulting stress presents an onslaught of nostalgias known psychological triggers. Xinyue Zhou， a psychologist at Sun Yat-sen University， in Guangzhou， said， “The uncertainty， the lack of control over our lives， is most unbearable to the post-eighties， so we have to seek confirmation from the past.”

Marketers have been eager to capitalize on the post-eighties newly 20）materialistic longing： Chevrolet and Hewlett-Packard launched nostalgic campaigns in recent years， while national brands， such as Huili Warrior sneakers， Forever bikes， and Jianlibao soda， have taken the opportunity to revive old products.

Chinas young adults arent the only ones reeling from the countrys dramatic social shifts. Rampant health and safety issues， as well as the general transition from a more community-focussed culture to one that values individual wealth， have people of all ages yearning for a simpler， more trustworthy time. But the post-eighties， as the first generation to come of age in a China with global consumerism， popular culture， and technology， have， by far， the most universal cultural references through which to express their nostalgia. An 21）emblematic example is the generations 22）rekindled obsession with Transformers. In July， 2007， the American film The Transformers opened in China， becoming the countrys second-highest-grossing foreign film at the time， and sparking a 23）resurgence in the toys popularity.

2010年底，一段主要講述兩位年輕人表演邁克爾·杰克遜的《比利·吉恩》的在線視頻在網上發布11天后，其點擊率超過七百萬次，引發了中國二三十歲年輕人的大規模評論，他們都坦言為之感動落淚。同樣這個年齡層的人，他們還蜂擁至中國現存為數不多的國營百貨商店。這類百貨商店商品種類繁多，琳瑯滿目，與美國的廉價品商店極為相似——只不過少了褪色的毛主席招貼畫以及用來結賬的算盤。國營百貨商店是僅存能找到伴隨著這些年輕人成長的“國貨”的地方之一。

這種苦樂參半情緒的懷舊潮可能是中國人對祖國歷史濃厚興趣的表達，又或是試圖保持一種文化傳承之感。但是最近就懷舊認知作用所做的心理學研究顯示，形成這一思潮的原因可能是80后這一輩人的社會經歷。

許多研究表明，當我們遭受心理出現小毛病時——孤獨、社交孤立、自我懷疑、負面情緒，覺得生活沒有意義——懷舊能夠充當一種應對的手段。研究人員表示，通過懷舊，我們回到過往輝煌成就和密切關系的表層實證之中，回到我們曾經生活感覺安全而有序的時光。

但懷舊情緒也可能是重振精神和獲取動力的來源。南安普頓大學心理學家、懷舊情緒專家康斯坦丁·塞迪基德斯說：“當你變得懷舊時，你并不會僅僅關注過去。你想要從那里走出來，開始做些事情。”

如果說懷舊自律效應作用于某一特例人群的話，那就是中國的80后一代了。作為中國第一代獨生子女，80后容易感到孤獨。……