The grown-ups who play with toys 爱玩玩具的 “大小孩”

　　The grown-ups who play with toys 爱玩玩具的 “大小孩”

 

　　有些成年人似乎永远也长不大。来看看为什么有些人喜欢在业余时间做看似只有在孩童时代才会做的事情，如制作飞机模型、搭建积木套装。有证据表明，这些人其实有充分的理由痴迷于这类爱好。玩儿时的玩具是否说明我们在寻找内心的那个 “大小孩”？听 “随身英语” 节目讨论以玩玩具为兴趣爱好的成年人。

　　词汇：play 玩耍

　　We all know children love to play with toys. But as they approach adulthood¹, 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'.

　　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. Nostalgia² 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.

　　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 analyst³ 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."Some people are even finding comfort and camaraderie⁴ 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 swap⁵ collections.

　　But those who think playing with toys is childish and immature⁶ should take note of the research by René Proyer, professor of psychology⁷ 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!

　　词汇表

　　toy 玩具

　　adulthood 成年

　　childhood 童年

　　kidult 童心未泯的成年人，大小孩

　　nostalgia 怀旧

　　puzzle 智力游戏，谜

　　board game 棋盘游戏或玩具

　　big kid 大孩子

　　a trip down memory lane 追忆往昔

　　let someone's hair down 某人彻底放松、尽情享受hobby 业余爱好

　　modelling 制作模型（玩具车、装饰摆件等）

　　construction 组装物体（积木套装等）

　　downtime 休息时间

　　camaraderie 友情

　　video gaming 玩电子游戏

　　train set 成套火车（玩具）

　　collection 收藏品

　　immature 不成熟的，幼稚的

　　playful 爱玩的，有趣的

　　spontaneous 随性的

　　all work and no play 只工作不放松

 

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