時尚雙語:“空巢”有助於增進夫妻感情

Marriages improve after children fly the coop, according to research

Marriages improve after children grow up and move out, according to an academic study which suggests an "empty nest" is not always a bad thing.

Popular wisdom has it that parents' relationships may suffer once their young fly the coop, because they feel they have lost their purpose in life.

However a new study by researchers at the University of California, Berkeley, has found that many couples actually feel happier when their children leave home because they are able to enjoy spending time together.

In total, 123 American mothers born in the 1930s were tracked for 18 years and asked to rate their satisfaction levels shortly after marrying, when they were bringing up babies, once their children reached their teenage years and finally at age 61, when almost all had "empty nests".

Although not all said they were happier in general, most claimed their marriages had improved since their children had left home.

Researchers believe this is not just because the spouses were spending more time together, but because they were able to enjoy each other's company more.

One of the participants in the study, which is published in the journal Psychological Science, said: "Once the kids grow up... there's some of that stress removed... that responsibility removed, so things are a little more relaxed."

Psychologist Sara Gorchoff, who carried out the investigation, said: "The take-home message for couples with young children is 'hang in there'."

Her co-author Oliver John added: "Don't wait until your kids leave home to schedule quality time with your partner."

However Dr Dorothy Rowe, from the British Psychological Society, said the effects of living in an "empty nest" will depend on the parents' relationship with their children.

"If you're just waiting for them to leave home so you can get on with your life, then of course you'll be pleased to see them go,' she said.

"But if you've built your life around your children you'll be terribly bereft. For some parents, their world falls apart when their children leave."

一項理論研究顯示，“空巢”不一定是壞事，因爲孩子長大離家後父母的婚姻質量會提高。

普遍觀點認爲，孩子長大離家後父母之間的關係可能會受到影響，因爲他們會感到失去了生活的意義。

而美國加州大學伯克利分校的一項最新研究結果顯示，其實很多夫妻在孩子離家後都感到更加快樂，因爲他們能有更多的時間享受“二人世界”。

研究人員對上世紀30年代出生的共123位美國母親進行了18年的跟蹤調查，並讓她們對新婚、撫養孩子、孩子十幾歲時以及自己61歲時（此時幾乎所有家庭都處於“空巢”狀態）的婚姻滿意度進行打分。

儘管並非所有人都表示孩子離家後總體來說感覺更快樂，但大多數人稱這一時期的婚姻質量有所改善。

研究人員認爲，這不僅是因爲夫妻倆有更多的時間在一起，而且因爲他們此時能更好地享受伴侶的陪伴。

其中一名調查對象說：“孩子長大以後，有些壓力和責任就沒有了，所以會輕鬆一點。”這項研究成果在《心理科學》期刊上發表。

負責開展該調查的心理學家薩拉•戈爾徹夫說：“對於孩子還小的夫妻來說，最重要的是‘堅持’。”

另一位研究人員奧利弗•約翰補充說：“不要等到孩子離家後纔開始安排夫妻倆的二人時光。”

而英國心理學會的多羅茜•露博士稱，“空巢”家庭是否有助於增進夫妻感情取決於父母與孩子的關係。

她說：“如果你非要等孩子離家後再開始自己的生活，那你當然很高興看到他們離開。”

“但如果你一直圍着孩子轉，那麼當他們離開時，你會感到失去親人般的痛苦。對一些家長來說，孩子一離開，他們的世界也隨之崩塌了。”

Vocabulary:

take-home message: the most important thing（重點）

hang in there:堅持