Researchers say:
Don't worry what other people think, going out on your own can be fun
In our part of the world, more people are living on their own than ever before. People also say they have fewer close friends. Yet it's still rare, especially at the weekend, to see someone eating alone in a busy restaurant, or rolling up solo to the cinema to watch the latest blockbuster.
在我們的世界，比起以往來說有越來越多人自個兒生活。人們也說，他們少有知心朋友。然而，尤其是在週末，看到有人獨自一個在人來人往的餐廳吃飯，或自個兒到電影院觀看最新的大片仍很罕見。
According to a pair of US researchers, Rebecca Ratner and Rebecca Hamilton, this reluctance to partake in leisure activities on our own means many of us are missing out unnecessarily – not just on the fun experience itself (be that going to the movies or something else), but on the chance to meet new people while we're out.
根據一對美國的研究人員，麗貝卡·拉特納和麗貝卡·漢密爾頓表示，這種不情願的獨自參與休閒活動，意味著大部分的我們沒有理由的錯過了 - 不僅僅是體驗本身的趣味（看電影還是其他什麼東西之類），還有當我們走出去結識新朋友的機會。
The researchers asked hundreds of US, Indian and Chinese participants to say how interested they'd be in doing various activities alone or with friends, and how much they would expect to enjoy those activities. The results were clear across all cultures: people were less interested in, and thought they would enjoy pleasurable activities (like eating out) in public less, if they were alone than with friends. This wasn't true for chores like grocery shopping or exercise, in which case they thought it would be as much fun alone as with company.
研究人員讓數百名美國，印度和中國人參與者說明他們在單獨或是和朋友一起做各種活動有多麼感興趣，他們會多期望享受這些活動。跨越所有文化很明顯的結果：人們缺乏興趣，並認為如果讓他們自己單獨在公共場合會比和朋友一起較無法享受愉快的活動（如外出吃餐）。但如果是例行活動像買菜或鍛煉，這種情況下，他們認為自己一人將比與同伴一起有趣。
The reason for thinking public leisure activities would be less enjoyable alone was at least partly explained by self-consciousness – the participants thought other people would assume they had fewer friends if they were seen eating out or going to the movies on their own.
之所以認為獨自一人的公眾休閒活動不太容易感到享受，有部分至少是由自我意識解釋 - 參與者認為如果他們自己外出吃飯或者去看電影，別人會認為他們缺乏朋友。
But Ratner and Hamilton say people underestimate how much fun they'll have partaking in entertaining activities in public alone. In another part of the study, participants enjoyed a solo visit to an art gallery much more than they expected, even though the building's glass walls meant they could be seen on their lonesome from the street.
但拉特納和漢密爾頓說，人們低估了他們獨自在公共場合參與娛樂活動有多樂趣。在這項研究中的另一部分，與會者享受了獨自參觀藝術畫廊的趣味比他們預期的要多，即使從建築物的玻璃幕牆顯示他們在路邊的寂寞。
Next, the researchers looked at people's expectations about going to a coffee shop. Again, participants thought they'd enjoy this less on their own than with friends, unless they had work with them to do. And once more, a kind of embarrassment was at play, in that participants thought other people would assume they had fewer friends if they went to a cafe alone and had no work with them.
接下來，研究人員觀察了人們對一個人去咖啡館的期望。再次的表示，除非他們有工作要做，與會者認為他們獨自一人會比和朋友一起更無法享受自己。再次的，一種尷尬的感覺在作怪，與會者認為如果他們自己去咖啡廳，在這種情境下其他人會認為他們沒有朋友，並認為他們沒有工作。
Finally, the researchers asked another set of participants about going to the cinema, alone or with friends, either on a busy Saturday night, or on Sunday when it's quieter. For participants contemplating a cinema visit on their own, Sunday was preferable, at least partly because they felt they would be seen by fewer people on the quieter night.
最後，研究人員問另一組參與者會在繁忙的週六晚上，或者安靜的星期天單獨或與朋友去電影院。與會者仔細考慮若他們自己去電影院，會選週日，至少部分原因是他們覺得，當他們在夜間安靜人少時去可以較少被看到。
Ratner and Hamilton hope that "by identifying a widespread disinhibition to engage in public, hedonic activities alone as well as cues that attenuate this inhibition [i.e. when the activity is re-framed to involve work or to be functional in some way], we can encourage more consumers to go bowling – or whatever leisure activity is appealing but for which they lack an activity partner – alone."
拉特納和漢密爾頓希望“通過識別一種廣泛性的解放抑制以參與公眾，快樂的單獨活動，以及能夠減弱這種抑製作用[即當活動被重新誣陷涉及工作或是要在某種程度上有功能]的暗示，當他們缺乏活動伴侶 - 獨自一人時“，我們可以鼓勵更多消費者去打保齡球 - 或者任何有吸引力的休閒活動。
The pair propose a number of creative suggestions for how businesses might encourage more lone customers, such as: communal tables for solo diners at restaurants and group seating in cinemas for lone film viewers, and by making activities "collectible", such as by offering incentives to sample a certain number of meals from a menu or plays at a theatre, thereby lending a functional aspect to fun experiences which might reduce the self-consciousness of doing them alone.
兩人提出了許多創造性的建議為企業如何鼓勵更多孤獨的客戶，如：在餐館提供公共桌給食客和在電影院為單獨看電影者規劃團體座位，提供獎勵性活動如“收藏”，如從菜單提供鼓勵體驗一定數量的 佳餚用餐或在劇院裡娛樂，因此功能方面經驗的樂趣可能減少單獨行動者的自我意識。
It's admirable to try to give people the confidence to go out on their own if that's what they want to do. And this study has succeeded in prompting newspaper headlines like "Why You Should Really Start Doing More Things Alone" (Washington Post). But sceptics will note that the current evidence is weak when it comes to actually showing that participating in leisure activities in public alone is more fun for people than they expect it to be.
試圖給人們信心，讓自己走出去，如果這就是他們想做的事情，是令人欽佩的。而這項研究成功地促使報紙關注成頭條新聞，如“為什麼你應該開始獨自做更多的事情”（華盛頓郵報）。但懷疑論者會指出，當涉及到實際呈現，人們單獨參與公眾休閒活動比他們期望的那樣顯示更多的樂趣，目前的證據薄弱。
Only one aspect of this study examined people's actual experience of completing an entertainment activity alone – and that was the five minute trip to an art gallery. This is surely quite a different prospect than, say, visiting a bustling restaurant or theatre by yourself, and it remains to be seen how accurate people are at forecasting their experience of those more challenging environments without any company.
僅此一個研究方向可檢測人們獨自完成娛樂活動的實際感受 - 那就是走一趟五分鐘藝術畫廊的行程。這可無疑是個完全不同的前景，獨自前往繁華的餐廳或劇院參觀，人們預測在沒有任何人陪伴下體驗較具挑戰性環境有多精確仍有待觀察。
Don't worry what other people think, going out on your own can be fun
In our part of the world, more people are living on their own than ever before. People also say they have fewer close friends. Yet it's still rare, especially at the weekend, to see someone eating alone in a busy restaurant, or rolling up solo to the cinema to watch the latest blockbuster.
在我們的世界，比起以往來說有越來越多人自個兒生活。人們也說，他們少有知心朋友。然而，尤其是在週末，看到有人獨自一個在人來人往的餐廳吃飯，或自個兒到電影院觀看最新的大片仍很罕見。
According to a pair of US researchers, Rebecca Ratner and Rebecca Hamilton, this reluctance to partake in leisure activities on our own means many of us are missing out unnecessarily – not just on the fun experience itself (be that going to the movies or something else), but on the chance to meet new people while we're out.
根據一對美國的研究人員，麗貝卡·拉特納和麗貝卡·漢密爾頓表示，這種不情願的獨自參與休閒活動，意味著大部分的我們沒有理由的錯過了 - 不僅僅是體驗本身的趣味（看電影還是其他什麼東西之類），還有當我們走出去結識新朋友的機會。
The researchers asked hundreds of US, Indian and Chinese participants to say how interested they'd be in doing various activities alone or with friends, and how much they would expect to enjoy those activities. The results were clear across all cultures: people were less interested in, and thought they would enjoy pleasurable activities (like eating out) in public less, if they were alone than with friends. This wasn't true for chores like grocery shopping or exercise, in which case they thought it would be as much fun alone as with company.
研究人員讓數百名美國，印度和中國人參與者說明他們在單獨或是和朋友一起做各種活動有多麼感興趣，他們會多期望享受這些活動。跨越所有文化很明顯的結果：人們缺乏興趣，並認為如果讓他們自己單獨在公共場合會比和朋友一起較無法享受愉快的活動（如外出吃餐）。但如果是例行活動像買菜或鍛煉，這種情況下，他們認為自己一人將比與同伴一起有趣。
The reason for thinking public leisure activities would be less enjoyable alone was at least partly explained by self-consciousness – the participants thought other people would assume they had fewer friends if they were seen eating out or going to the movies on their own.
之所以認為獨自一人的公眾休閒活動不太容易感到享受，有部分至少是由自我意識解釋 - 參與者認為如果他們自己外出吃飯或者去看電影，別人會認為他們缺乏朋友。
But Ratner and Hamilton say people underestimate how much fun they'll have partaking in entertaining activities in public alone. In another part of the study, participants enjoyed a solo visit to an art gallery much more than they expected, even though the building's glass walls meant they could be seen on their lonesome from the street.
但拉特納和漢密爾頓說，人們低估了他們獨自在公共場合參與娛樂活動有多樂趣。在這項研究中的另一部分，與會者享受了獨自參觀藝術畫廊的趣味比他們預期的要多，即使從建築物的玻璃幕牆顯示他們在路邊的寂寞。
Next, the researchers looked at people's expectations about going to a coffee shop. Again, participants thought they'd enjoy this less on their own than with friends, unless they had work with them to do. And once more, a kind of embarrassment was at play, in that participants thought other people would assume they had fewer friends if they went to a cafe alone and had no work with them.
接下來，研究人員觀察了人們對一個人去咖啡館的期望。再次的表示，除非他們有工作要做，與會者認為他們獨自一人會比和朋友一起更無法享受自己。再次的，一種尷尬的感覺在作怪，與會者認為如果他們自己去咖啡廳，在這種情境下其他人會認為他們沒有朋友，並認為他們沒有工作。
Finally, the researchers asked another set of participants about going to the cinema, alone or with friends, either on a busy Saturday night, or on Sunday when it's quieter. For participants contemplating a cinema visit on their own, Sunday was preferable, at least partly because they felt they would be seen by fewer people on the quieter night.
最後，研究人員問另一組參與者會在繁忙的週六晚上，或者安靜的星期天單獨或與朋友去電影院。與會者仔細考慮若他們自己去電影院，會選週日，至少部分原因是他們覺得，當他們在夜間安靜人少時去可以較少被看到。
Ratner and Hamilton hope that "by identifying a widespread disinhibition to engage in public, hedonic activities alone as well as cues that attenuate this inhibition [i.e. when the activity is re-framed to involve work or to be functional in some way], we can encourage more consumers to go bowling – or whatever leisure activity is appealing but for which they lack an activity partner – alone."
拉特納和漢密爾頓希望“通過識別一種廣泛性的解放抑制以參與公眾，快樂的單獨活動，以及能夠減弱這種抑製作用[即當活動被重新誣陷涉及工作或是要在某種程度上有功能]的暗示，當他們缺乏活動伴侶 - 獨自一人時“，我們可以鼓勵更多消費者去打保齡球 - 或者任何有吸引力的休閒活動。
The pair propose a number of creative suggestions for how businesses might encourage more lone customers, such as: communal tables for solo diners at restaurants and group seating in cinemas for lone film viewers, and by making activities "collectible", such as by offering incentives to sample a certain number of meals from a menu or plays at a theatre, thereby lending a functional aspect to fun experiences which might reduce the self-consciousness of doing them alone.
兩人提出了許多創造性的建議為企業如何鼓勵更多孤獨的客戶，如：在餐館提供公共桌給食客和在電影院為單獨看電影者規劃團體座位，提供獎勵性活動如“收藏”，如從菜單提供鼓勵體驗一定數量的 佳餚用餐或在劇院裡娛樂，因此功能方面經驗的樂趣可能減少單獨行動者的自我意識。
It's admirable to try to give people the confidence to go out on their own if that's what they want to do. And this study has succeeded in prompting newspaper headlines like "Why You Should Really Start Doing More Things Alone" (Washington Post). But sceptics will note that the current evidence is weak when it comes to actually showing that participating in leisure activities in public alone is more fun for people than they expect it to be.
試圖給人們信心，讓自己走出去，如果這就是他們想做的事情，是令人欽佩的。而這項研究成功地促使報紙關注成頭條新聞，如“為什麼你應該開始獨自做更多的事情”（華盛頓郵報）。但懷疑論者會指出，當涉及到實際呈現，人們單獨參與公眾休閒活動比他們期望的那樣顯示更多的樂趣，目前的證據薄弱。
Only one aspect of this study examined people's actual experience of completing an entertainment activity alone – and that was the five minute trip to an art gallery. This is surely quite a different prospect than, say, visiting a bustling restaurant or theatre by yourself, and it remains to be seen how accurate people are at forecasting their experience of those more challenging environments without any company.
僅此一個研究方向可檢測人們獨自完成娛樂活動的實際感受 - 那就是走一趟五分鐘藝術畫廊的行程。這可無疑是個完全不同的前景，獨自前往繁華的餐廳或劇院參觀，人們預測在沒有任何人陪伴下體驗較具挑戰性環境有多精確仍有待觀察。
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