2019-03-16

In 1988 a TV writer called Alex Carswell threw a pen at a photo of his mother after a stressful phone call with his boss. It gave him an idea. It was the “Age of Stress” and so the perfect time for Carswell to launch his “stress ball”.

1988 年一位名叫亚历克斯·卡斯维尔的电视编剧在跟老板打了一通颇有压力的电话后，朝他母亲的照片扔了一支钢笔。这让他产生了一个想法。那是一个“充满压力的年代”，因此也是卡斯维尔推出“压力球”的最佳时机。

If the 80s were the age of stress, this is the age of anxiety, with 30% of Britons experiencing an anxiety disorder during their lifetime. This has created a market for domestic anxiety cures that can be bought online, and fast.

如果说 80 年代是充满压力的时代，那么现今就是一个焦虑的时代。30%的英国人一生中得过一次焦虑症。这就给家用焦虑治疗法创造了市场，而这些疗法在网上就可以快速买到。

Consider the squishy. That repeated action led to fidget spinners becoming one of the most popular items bought on Amazon in 2017. They were not simply triangles of plastic; they were a stress-relief toy. They were the stars of a growing anxiety economy.

想想像捏捏乐那样的玩具吧。而同时，那种重复性的动作使得指尖陀螺成为了 2017 年亚马逊最受欢迎的商品之一。指尖陀螺不单是塑料三角形物体；它们是一种解压玩具，是日益增长的焦虑经济中的明星产品。

Alongside products designed purely as medical aids, such as meditation apps, there is a thriving offshoot of lifestyle goods marketed through their anxiety-relieving qualities. Product innovation oriented around anxiety spans nearly 30 different categories, including chocolate, yogurt and air fresheners.

除了像冥想应用这类纯粹作为医疗辅助工具而设计出的产品之外，还有一类正在蓬勃发展的衍生品，它们是一些以缓解焦虑为营销手段的生活方式类产品。针对焦虑的产品创新横跨接近 30 个不同品类，包括巧克力、酸奶以及空气清新剂。

Is anxiety itself being commodified?

“焦虑”本身是否正在被商品化了？

Dr Nihara Krause, founder of youth mental health charity Stem4, said, “The market seems saturated. There are a number of companies that are trading on fake news to promote a whole range of products that are meant to help with mental health problems but without any evidence base to them. Given that we are dealing with a vulnerable population it is questionable how ethical producing these tools without evidence base and systematic review of efficacy is.”

青少年心理健康慈善机构 Stem4 的创始人，尼哈拉·克劳斯博士表示：“这个市场似乎已经饱和了。许多公司利用假新闻来推销一系列旨在帮助解决心理健康问题的产品，但没有任何事实依据能证明它们确实有效。考虑到我们面对的是一个脆弱的人群，没有以证据为基础和对疗效进行系统性评估就生产这些工具，是否合乎道德呢？这值得怀疑。”