怀旧吧，中国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，一段主要讲述两位年轻人表演迈克尔·杰克逊的《比利·吉恩》的在线视频在网上发布11天后，其点击率超过七百万次，引发了中国二三十岁年轻人的大规模评论，他们都坦言为之感动落泪。同样这个年龄层的人，他们还蜂拥至中国现存为数不多的国营百货商店。这类百货商店商品种类繁多，琳琅满目，与美国的廉价品商店极为相似——只不过少了褪色的毛主席招贴画以及用来结账的算盘。国营百货商店是仅存能找到伴随着这些年轻人成长的“国货”的地方之一。

这种苦乐参半情绪的怀旧潮可能是中国人对祖国历史浓厚兴趣的表达，又或是试图保持一种文化传承之感。但是最近就怀旧认知作用所做的心理学研究显示，形成这一思潮的原因可能是80后这一辈人的社会经历。

许多研究表明，当我们遭受心理出现小毛病时——孤独、社交孤立、自我怀疑、负面情绪，觉得生活没有意义——怀旧能够充当一种应对的手段。研究人员表示，通过怀旧，我们回到过往辉煌成就和密切关系的表层实证之中，回到我们曾经生活感觉安全而有序的时光。

但怀旧情绪也可能是重振精神和获取动力的来源。南安普顿大学心理学家、怀旧情绪专家康斯坦丁·塞迪基德斯说：“当你变得怀旧时，你并不会仅仅关注过去。你想要从那里走出来，开始做些事情。”

如果说怀旧自律效应作用于某一特例人群的话，那就是中国的80后一代了。作为中国第一代独生子女，80后容易感到孤独。他们成长的年代恰逢中国转型至市场经济，在这个重大的时代关口，他们非自愿地成为开荒牛，肩负着定义中国式现代化的重任。他们的父母有着国家分配的工作以及政府补贴的房子，而他们却要在前路迷茫、动荡不安的社会结构中追逐自己的梦想。努力学习、考取高分成为一代人的基石；人们认为勤奋学习就可以创造更完美的职业人生，同时获得更多的财富。但是对教育的过分重视使得大学毕业生供过于求。

如今，80后已经二十多快三十岁，又或者三十出头了，他们正努力驾驭这个荒芜的就业市场，同时他们又是子女和父母唯一的经济支柱（中国的传统如是）。许多人离开偏远家乡去到更为繁荣的城市里，但却面临着残酷的竞争，争夺为数不多的白领工作岗位。为了获得稀缺的升职机会，他们每天工作11个小时，参与残酷的办公室政治。住房成本对于大多数人来说遥不可及，像上海、北京这样的城市，房价与收入比高达23：1，但是80后则承受着结婚前必须买房的巨大压力。除此之外，城市的过于拥挤、史无前例的污染问题、以及一连串的食物安全丑闻（单单在过去的六个月里，已经传出这样的流言：牛肉中含炭疽、老鼠肉充当羊肉出售、鸡肉中抗生素超出安全标准、上海供应饮用水的河流中发现大量死猪，以及国内瓶装水水质不如自来水），以及这些问题带来的压力触发了怀旧情绪的心理诱因。广州中山大学的心理学家周欣悦说：“对80后而言，生活的不确定性以及对自己人生的无法掌控，是最难以忍受的，所以我们不得不从过去寻求肯定。”

营销人员一直对80后这种新兴的唯物主义渴求心理虎视眈眈：近年来，雪佛兰和惠普发起怀旧主题的宣传企划，不过，众多国产品牌像回力鞋、永久牌自行车、健力宝饮料等已经在复苏旧货的市场中抢占先机。

中国的年轻人并非唯一受害于国家戏剧性社会变动的人群。健康和安全问题肆虐，加上从关注社会文化到重视个人财富的全面转型使得所有年龄层的人渴望一个更简单、更值得信赖的时代。但是作为在全球消费主义、流行文化和技术时代下成长起来的第一代中国人，80后至今拥有最多常用的、用以表达他们怀旧情绪的文化参照物。其中一个具代表性的例子就是这代人复燃了对变形金刚的衷情。2007年7月，美国电影《变形金刚》在中国上映，成为当时中国票房收入第二高的外国影片，也重新掀起一股变形金刚玩具的热潮。