那些逢年過節(jié)我們一起搜的關鍵詞

What We’re Searching For

那些逢年過節(jié)我們一起搜的關鍵詞

TRUE or false: During the holidays, people suffer unusually high rates of depression.

請判斷對錯：人們在節(jié)日期間經受抑郁情緒折磨的機率奇高無比。

This much-repeated statement is false. In fact, the opposite is true.

這個被很多人重復過的說法是錯誤的。事實恰恰相反。

In an earlier article, I reported that Google searches for “depression” are the lowest on Christmas and the days surrounding it. Over Christmas week, searches for “depression” are 10 to 20 percent below average, which is a highly significant difference. But it’s not just depression that drops. Searches for “anxiety” and “suicide” plummet during the holiday season.

我在早前的一片文章里報道過，圣誕節(jié)前后，“抑郁”的谷歌(Google)搜索量是最低的。該詞在圣誕周的搜索量竟然比平均水平低10%至20%，差異非常顯著。不過，搜索量下降的關鍵詞不是只有“抑郁”。與“焦慮”和“自殺”有關的搜索在假日季也會大幅減少。

I am not sure what it says about me, but I have chosen to spend the early part of the holiday season analyzing publicly available Google data. I am not alone in this obsession. Recently, Christopher Ingraham of The Washington Post reported that his 2014 “misery index,” based on a variety of Google searches, was lowest on Christmas.

我不能確定這會讓自己給人留下怎樣的印象，但我選擇用假日季的最初幾天來研究公眾所能獲得的谷歌搜索數(shù)據(jù)。我不是唯一一個樂此不疲的人。最近，《華盛頓郵報》(The Washington Post)的克里斯托弗•英格拉哈姆(Christopher Ingraham)報道稱，他以各種各樣的谷歌搜索為基礎編制出了2014年“痛苦指數(shù)”，該指數(shù)在圣誕節(jié)這天是最低的。

If you think that the phenomenon of Christmas uplift is just a quirk of a new, funky data set, consider Gallup surveys. I downloaded four years of Gallup mood data. On average, Americans report substantially elevated levels of happiness and decreased levels of stress on Christmas, New Year’s and the surrounding days. Also contrary to popular belief, suicides drop around the holidays.

如果你覺得，人們的情緒因為圣誕節(jié)的到來而為之一振這件事，只不過是由一串新鮮時髦的數(shù)據(jù)勾勒出來的幻象，那就看看蓋洛普(Gallup)的調查吧。我把該公司總共4年的情緒調查數(shù)據(jù)都下載了下來。這些數(shù)據(jù)表明，在圣誕節(jié)以及新年前后，美國人的幸福感通常會大大提高，壓力通常會大幅緩解。與普遍觀點相反的另一個事實是，自殺率在節(jié)日期間也會降低。

This does not mean the holidays are a time of uncomplicated joy for everyone. But by studying the patterns made by millions of Google searches, we can get a remarkably detailed view not only of how our thoughts and emotions change around the holidays, but of how they ebb and flow throughout the year.

這并不意味著每個人都能在過節(jié)時擁有簡單的快樂。但通過對數(shù)以百萬計的谷歌搜索所呈現(xiàn)出來的規(guī)律加以研究，我們不僅可以極為確切地了解自己的心理和情感在節(jié)日期間如何變化，而且可以知道它們在一年當中如何上下起伏。

Consider searches related to “loneliness.” These searches mostly consist of people looking for quotations or song lyrics about loneliness, which might be comforting to the lonely. Dec. 25 is the eighth-highest day for loneliness searches. First and second are Feb. 14 and Feb. 15.

以關于“寂寞”的搜索為例。大部分進行這類搜索的人都在尋找與寂寞有關的語錄或歌詞，對寂寞的人而言，這些語錄和歌詞或許會帶來慰藉。“寂寞”一詞在12月25日的搜索量是全年第八高的。排在第一位和第二位的分別是2月14日和2月15日。

Even more interesting is the pattern of “divorce” searches. These generally show only a small amount of seasonality, but there is a notable drop in the run-up to Christmas and a significant rise in the 10 days following Christmas.

更有意思的是“離婚”一詞的搜索規(guī)律。與離婚有關的搜索并沒有呈現(xiàn)出多么明顯的季節(jié)性特點，但在圣誕節(jié)即將到來之際，其搜索量會顯著下降，而在圣誕節(jié)后的10天里，其搜索量又會顯著上升。

What explains the post-Christmas surge of interest in divorce? Google searches for other terms help make that clear. First, Christmas allows for some reflection about family life. Searches for “dysfunctional family” reach their highest point every year around Christmas. Searches that include the word “hate” and a family member — “mom,” “dad,” “husband” or “wife,” for example — also rise on and around Christmas.

為什么人們在圣誕節(jié)過后對“離婚”一詞興趣驟升?關于其他詞匯的谷歌搜索有助于說明個中原因。首先，過圣誕節(jié)讓一些人有機會反思自己的家庭生活。圣誕節(jié)前后，“不健全家庭”的搜索量是一年當中最高的。家庭成員稱謂——如“媽媽”、“爸爸”、“丈夫”、“妻子”——加 “恨”的搜索量在這段時間也會上升。

Second, whether consciously or subconsciously, people delay bad events until after the holidays. Dec. 26 is the date with the highest search rate for “doctor,” following a dip leading up to the holidays. Our bodies even somehow manage to delay trouble: Health researchers previously found a 33 percent increase in heart attacks in the four days after Christmas.

其次，人們總是有意無意地把壞事推到節(jié)日之后。“醫(yī)生”的搜索量在圣誕節(jié)前會有所下降，到了12月26日又會升到全年最高點。我們的身體甚至會設法把出毛病的時間延后：健康狀況研究者以前曾發(fā)現(xiàn)，圣誕節(jié)過后的4天里，心臟病的發(fā)病率會上升33%。

Less surprisingly, “diet” searches rise after Christmas. The pattern of “diet” searches through the calendar year is more interesting. They hit their maximum values in the days immediately after New Year’s, as anyone who has ever gone to Weight Watchers knows; they are relatively stable from February through June; and they drop from August through Christmas.

不太出人意料的是，圣誕節(jié)之后，“節(jié)食”的搜索量會有所上升。觀察日歷年當中的“節(jié)食”搜索規(guī)律，會更有趣。正如每個去過慧儷輕體(Weight Watchers)的人所知，“節(jié)食”的搜索量在新年過后是最高的，在2月到6月之間比較穩(wěn)定，在8月到圣誕節(jié)之間則會有所降低。

Google data suggest that Christmas works as an antidepressant through much of the world. Generally, the larger the Christian population, the more powerful the effect. In Poland and Brazil, two countries with larger Christian majorities than the United States, the depression declines around Christmas are larger than they are in the United States.

谷歌搜索數(shù)據(jù)顯示，在世界上的很多地方，圣誕節(jié)都有抗抑郁的效用?？傮w而言，信奉基督教的人越多，這種效果就越顯著。波蘭和巴西的大多數(shù)國民都信奉基督教，基督徒占總人口的比例比美國更高，因此在圣誕節(jié)前后，巴西人和波蘭人的抑郁程度下降得比美國人更大。

Israel, notably, has no dip in depression around Christmas.

值得注意的是，以色列人的抑郁程度在圣誕節(jié)前后并未下降。

Does this mean that Christmas is just another day for Jewish people worldwide? Nope. Google data present definitive evidence that, at least for Jews in North America, there is one way Christmas differs from all other days. On all other days, we show great culinary diversity. On this day, we eat Chinese food: Google searches for “Chinese restaurant” rise 100 percent in New York City and Toronto on Dec. 25.

這是否意味著對全世界的猶太人而言，圣誕節(jié)只不過是平凡的一天?并未如此。谷歌搜索數(shù)據(jù)確切地表明，至少北美洲的猶太人在圣誕節(jié)這天的表現(xiàn)會跟平常不一樣。平常我們的飲食習慣大相徑庭，但過圣誕節(jié)時，我們吃中國菜：12月25日，在紐約和多倫多，“中國餐館”的搜索量會翻一番。

Are people naughtier or nicer around Christmas? One data point in favor of Christmas naughtiness comes from searches for jokes. On Christmas, searches for “clean jokes” are below average, while searches for “dirty jokes” reach the highest level of the year.

人們在圣誕節(jié)前后會更淘氣或者更友善嗎?與笑話有關的一項搜索數(shù)據(jù)表明，真的有“圣誕淘氣”這回事。圣誕節(jié)當天，“非黃色笑話”的搜索量低于平均水平，“黃色笑話”的搜索量則會達到一年當中的最高點。

But the bulk of the evidence actually suggests that people are nicer on Christmas. Many Americans certainly take the religious aspect of Christmas seriously: On Dec. 25, “Bible” searches are 10 percent higher than average.

不過的確有大量證據(jù)表明，人們過圣誕節(jié)時會更友善。許多美國人顯然十分看重圣誕節(jié)的宗教意義：12月25日那天，“圣經”的搜索量會比平均水平高10%。

And, jokes aside, most raunchy searches dip on Christmas. Take searches for “porn.” Such searches tend to rise whenever people are off work and out of school. “Porn” searches are 30 percent higher on weekends than weekdays, highest in the summer months and soar on most holidays, hitting their highest level on July 4. But on Christmas, “porn” searches are 15 percent lower than on surrounding days and 30 percent lower than they are on an average weekend.

撇開笑話不談，大部分較為粗俗的關鍵詞的搜索量在圣誕節(jié)這天都會有所下降。以“色情片”為例。對這一關鍵詞的搜索會在人們沒去上班或沒去上學時增多。周末的“色情片”搜索量比工作日高30%;夏天是搜索色情片的高峰期;趕上節(jié)日，其搜索量就會猛增，7月4日會達到全年的最高點。但圣誕節(jié)這天，它的搜索量比此前和此后數(shù)天低15%，比周末的平均水平低30%。

Searches for “cocaine,” “weed,” “Viagra” and “condoms” are at or near their lowest levels on and around Christmas. We cannot know for sure that these searches correlate with actual behavior, but it seems a pretty safe bet that so many fewer searches about drugs and sex around Christmas indicate that fewer people are using drugs and coupling up.

“可卡因”、“大麻”、“偉哥”和“安全套”的搜索量會在圣誕節(jié)前后達到或接近達到全年最低水平。我們無法確切知道搜索量與實際行為之間的關聯(lián)，但似乎可以肯定地說，圣誕節(jié)前后，搜索關于毒品和性的關鍵詞的人變少了，意味著在此期間吸毒和沉迷于性事的人變少了。

But Google data also give us new evidence of what happens when people focus on nice activities and abstain from naughty ones: The week of Christmas has the most Google searches complaining of boredom.

不過，谷歌搜索數(shù)據(jù)還讓我們明白，人類一心向善、循規(guī)蹈矩時會出現(xiàn)什么情況：圣誕周的那些搜索量最大的關鍵詞，都跟對無聊的抱怨有關。