“Where do they all come from?”wondered Paul McCartney in 1966.“

“他们都是从哪里来的?”保罗·麦卡特尼在1966年问道。

Britain’s government has taken a more analytical approach to lonely people.

英国政府对孤独的人采取了更为分析的方法。

Five years ago it launched a “loneliness strategy”, to tackle “one of the greatest public-health challenges of our time.”

五年前，它启动了一项“孤独战略”，以应对“我们这个时代最大的公共卫生挑战之一”。

Stress and unhappiness may affect the body in ways not yet understood.

压力和不快乐可能会以我们尚未理解的方式影响身体。

The sick may also be more likely to become socially isolated.

病人也更有可能被社会孤立。

The government has done much to reduce stigma around mental ill health: the NHS repeatedly encourages people to consider their mental state (though it is unable to provide talking therapy to many who need it).

政府已经做了很多工作来减少人们对精神疾病的耻辱感:英国国家医疗服务体系一再鼓励人们考虑自己的精神状态(尽管它无法为许多需要谈话治疗的人提供该服务)。

Mr Andrew, hopes the same thing will happen with loneliness.

安德鲁先生希望同样的事情也能发生在孤独感上。

That seems unlikely because admitting to loneliness can seem to reflect on a person in painfully personal ways.

这似乎不太可能，因为承认孤独似乎会以痛苦的个人方式在一个人身上反映出来。

Depression can strike anyone; no one wants to be thought of as love-less or friendless.

任何人都可能患上抑郁症; 没有人想被认为是缺爱或没有朋友。

Having public figures talk about loneliness would help.

让公众人物谈论孤独会有所帮助。

Alluding to specific causes is a useful start.

暗示具体原因可以成为一个有效的开始。

That is why Mr Andrew talks about growing up gay, and feeling alone.

这就是为什么安德鲁先生会谈论自己成为同性恋并感到孤独的故事。

Speaking about loneliness might also encourage people to consider that others are suffering.

谈论孤独可能也会鼓励人们体谅其他也在受苦的人。

Small interactions are crucial, says Professor Qualter.

夸特教授说，小规模的互动是至关重要的。

With this in mind the government has funded a few initiatives.

考虑到这一点，政府资助了一些项目。

NHS receptionists are being trained to identify lonely people.

英国国家医疗服务系统的接待员正在接受识别孤独人群的培训。

Not every harried staffer considers that the old man who arrives hours early for his appointment might not have seen anyone in days.

并不是每个备受折磨的的工作人员都会认为，这位提前几个小时到达预约地点的老人可能已经几天没见过任何人了。

People who sign up for such courses seem likely to be empathetic already, though.

不过，报名参加这类课程的人似乎已经具备了同理心。

Lesley Emongo, a receptionist in Peterborough, says the training gave her strategies for dealing with the many lonely patients she encounters.

莱斯利·埃蒙戈是彼得伯勒的一名接待员，她说，培训让她掌握了应对自己遇到的许多孤独病人的策略。

The ons’s standard questions for surveys may be the most useful intervention.

国家统计局的标准调查问题可能是最有用的干预手段。

It hopes academics and charities will measure loneliness in the same way so “we will build a much better evidence base more quickly”.

它希望学术界和慈善机构能以同样的方式衡量孤独感，这样“我们就能更快地建立一个更好的证据基础”。

Professor Qualter says there is no evidence yet that any interventions have been effective.

夸特教授说，目前还没有证据表明任何干预措施已经产生效果。

This may be because the things that make people lonely—such as poverty or disabilities—also make them hard to reach.

这可能是因为使人们感到孤独的事情——比如贫穷或残疾——也使他们难以被发现。

The professor would like to see more ambition, including designing public services with spaces that encourage congregation.

这位教授希望能注意到更多的雄心壮志，包括设计带有鼓励集会空间的公共服务。

Austerity brought brutal cuts to many places, like youth clubs, where people once gathered.

财政紧缩给许多地方带来了残酷的削减，比如人们曾经聚集的青年俱乐部。

A loneliness strategy is unlikely to make up for those losses.

孤独策略不太可能弥补这些损失。

来源：经济学人