第1857期:The grown-ups who play with toys

We all know children love to play with toys. But as they approach adulthood, they stop being playful and concentrate on grown-up things – or so we believe. However, in recent times at least, adults are revisiting their childhood and buying toys for themselves – and they've been given the nickname 'kidults'.

我们都知道孩子们喜欢玩玩具。但当他们接近成年时，他们不再嬉戏，而是专注于成人的事情——至少我们是这么认为的。然而，至少在最近，成年人正在重温他们的童年并为自己购买玩具——他们被冠以“大小孩”的绰号。

There are many reasons for the rise of the kidult, but it's certainly big business. In the USA for example, the Toy Association says that over half of adults bought toys and games for themselves last year. Nostalgia is part of the reason: people want to relive their childhood and now have the disposable income to do so. Puzzles and board games are traditional toys that can be enjoyed at any age.

大小孩增多的原因有很多，但这无疑是一项大生意。例如在美国，玩具协会表示，去年超过一半的成年人为自己购买了玩具和游戏。怀旧是部分原因：人们想重温童年，现在有足够的可支配收入来这样做。拼图和棋盘游戏是任何年龄段都可以玩的传统玩具。

But there's more to being a big kid than just taking a trip down memory lane. People have more time to let their hair down and play. Hobbies such as modelling and construction with plastic bricks can help people develop skills into adulthood. And they allow people to switch off and relax. In fact, Frederique Tutt, global industry analyst at NPD, told the BBC: "I'd say much of this is providing an escape from the stresses and strains of modern-day living, fulfilling our need to find downtime."

但是，要成为一个大孩子，而不仅仅是沿着儿时的记忆走。人们有更多的时间放松下来玩耍。建模和用塑料积木建造等爱好可以帮助人们在成年后发展技能。他们可以让人们静心并放松。事实上，NPD 全球行业分析师弗雷德里克·图特 (Frederique Tutt) 告诉 BBC：“我想说的是，这在很大程度上是为了摆脱现代生活的压力，满足我们休息的需要。”

Some people are even finding comfort and camaraderie by playing with others. Although competing with others through video gaming might be nothing new, others are coming together to build train sets or sophisticated models. In Brighton in the UK, for example, Brighton Bricks is a club where adult fans of the toy Lego meet up every month to talk, play and swap collections.

有些人甚至通过与他人玩耍来寻找安慰和友情。尽管通过视频游戏与他人竞争可能并不是什么新鲜事，但其他人正在聚在一起构建积木火车或复杂模型。例如，在英国布莱顿，Brighton Bricks 是一个乐高玩具的成年粉丝每月聚会的俱乐部，他们在这里聊天、玩耍和交换收藏品。

But those who think playing with toys is childish and immature should take note of the research by René Proyer, professor of psychology at Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg in Germany. It suggests that adults who demonstrate more playful personality traits are more motivated, creative and spontaneous. So, it seems life shouldn't be all work and no play, and maybe we should take play more seriously!

但那些认为玩玩具是幼稚和不成熟的人应该注意德国哈雷-维滕贝格马丁路德大学心理学教授勒内普罗耶的研究。 该研究表明表现出更多俏皮性格特征的成年人更有动力、更有创造力和自发性。所以，生活似乎不应该只有工作而没有娱乐，也许我们应该更认真地对待娱乐！

kidult 童心未泯的成年人，大小孩 My brother is such a kidult; he still collects action figures and plays video games.（我弟弟真是个“大孩子”；他还收集玩具人偶和玩电子游戏。）
nostalgia 怀旧 Looking at old photographs always fills me with nostalgia for my childhood.（看着老照片总是让我充满对童年的怀旧之情。）
board game 棋盘游戏或玩具 Let's invite some friends over and have a fun evening playing board games.（让我们邀请一些朋友过来，度过一个玩桌游的愉快夜晚吧。）
a trip down memory lane 追忆往昔 After a long week at work, she likes to go out with friends and let her hair down.（工作了一个漫长的星期之后，她喜欢和朋友出去玩，放松一下。）
let someone's hair down 某人彻底放松、尽情享受  After a long week at work, she likes to go out with friends and let her hair down.（ 工作了一个漫长的星期之后，她喜欢和朋友出去玩，放松一下。）
downtime 休息时间 I enjoy having some downtime on the weekends, just relaxing and doing nothing. （ 我喜欢在周末放松一下，什么都不做，享受一段自由时间。）
camaraderie 友情 The team building activities helped foster a sense of camaraderie among the colleagues. （ 团队建设活动有助于同事们建立起一种同仁之情。）
spontaneous 随性的 We decided to have a spontaneous road trip and ended up exploring a new city. （ 我们决定进行一次即兴的公路旅行，结果去了一个新的城市。）