Feel better now? The rise and rise of the anxiety economy 现在感觉好多了？焦虑经济的不断崛起
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 theage of stress,this is the age of anxiety,with 30% of Britons experiencing an anxietydisorder（失调，紊乱）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（在...旁边）products designed purely as medical aids,such asmeditation （冥想）apps,there is athriving offshoot（蓬勃发展的衍生品）of lifestyle goodsmarketed（营销）through theiranxiety-relieving qualities. Product innovationoriented around（针对，围绕，以...为目标）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 beingcommodified（商品化）?
“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 seemssaturated（浸透了，饱和了）. There are a number of companies that aretrading on fake （利用）news to promotea whole range of (一系列的）products thatare meant to（旨在）help with mental health problems but without any evidence base to them. Given that we are dealing with avulnerable population（脆弱的人群）it is questionable how ethical producing these tools withoutevidence base（以证据为基础）andsystematic review of efficacy（功效）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。”
重点词汇
launch/lɔːntʃ/
v.发射；上市，推出
e.g.
搭配短语：to launch a missile
disorder/dɪsˈɔːrdər/
n.（身体）失调；疾病；异常
e.g.
搭配短语：mental / eating disorder
domestic/dəˈmestɪk/
adj.家用的；国内的
e.g.
搭配短语：domestic service;domestic flight
squishy/ˈskwɪʃi/
n.捏捏乐
e.g.
相关词汇：squash
squash英文释义：to press sth so that it becomes soft,damaged or flat,or changes shape
例句：We have to squash our cans flat before recycling.
搭配短语：a glass of orange squash(n.)
fidget/ˈfɪdʒɪt/
n.（由于坐立不安而出现的）小动作
e.g.
英文释义：a quick,small movement,typically a repeated one,caused by nervousness or impatience
spinner/ˈspɪnər/
n.旋转器
e.g.
词性拓展：spin(v.)
triangle/ˈtraɪæŋɡl/
n.三角形物
stress-relief/stres rɪˈliːf/
adj.解压的
meditation/ˌmedɪˈteɪʃn/
n.冥想
thriving/ˈθraɪvɪŋ/
adj.茁壮成长的；兴旺发达的
e.g.
搭配短语：a thriving industry
offshoot/ˈɔːfʃuːt/
n.分支；衍生品
e.g.
相关词汇：off（prep.离开，脱离）；shoot（n.幼芽）
orient/ˈɔːrient/
v.针对，围绕；以...为目标
e.g.
搭配短语：be oriented around sth./sb.
例句：This course is oriented towards the needs of businessmen.
span/spæn/
v.跨越，横跨
e.g.
例句：His interests span almost all the disciplines.
yogurt/ˈjoʊɡərt/
n.酸乳，酸奶
commodify/kəˈmɒdɪˌfaɪ/
v.商品化
e.g.
词性拓展：commodity(n.)
saturated/ˈsætʃəreɪtɪd/
adj.湿透的；浸透的
e.g.
英文释义：completely wet
例句：I‘m absolutely saturated!
同义词：soaked
例句：I’m absolutely soaked!
trade on sth.
（为谋私利）利用
e.g.
例句：They trade on people‘s insecurity to sell them insurance.
fake/feɪk/
adj.假的，伪造的
e.g.
词性拓展：fake（n.赝品，假货）
例句：The painting is a fake.
vulnerable/ˈvʌlnərəbl/
adj.易受伤的；脆弱的
e.g.
例句：He is very sensitive and rather vulnerable.
ethical/ˈeθɪkl/
adj.道德的；伦理的
e.g.
搭配短语：ethical standard / appeal
efficacy/ˈefɪkəsi/
n.疗效；功效
e.g.
搭配短语：the efficacy of the treatment
