以下是内容的中文翻译： Jennifer Zabasaja主持的“下一站非洲”（Next Africa）播客介绍了非洲大陆的增长、资本流动和数字化进程。此后，彭博社的Stephanie Flanders主持了“特朗普经济学”（Trumponomics）播客，重点关注经济转型。这一集探讨了一个出人意料但至关重要的话题：“乐趣大短缺”（the great fun shortage）。 Flanders在引言中指出，虽然生活成本仍然是一个主要担忧，但“欢笑和玩乐”的成本似乎上涨得更快，可供参与的机会也越来越少。她以FIFA世界杯为例，比赛门票要么极其稀缺，要么价格高得惊人，最便宜的决赛门票价格是两年前同类票价的32倍。她解释说，这种因价格过高而无法享受乐趣的现象，是彭博社记者Ben Steverman在一篇文章中记录的更广泛趋势的一部分。Steverman与经济学家Lord Richard Layard一同参与了本期播客。 Ben Steverman回顾了他如何开始关注这一话题，他观察到美国时间利用调查中“令人沮丧的趋势”，这些调查显示过去20年间面对面社交活动显著减少。他强调了一些具体的损失，例如美国减少了2000个高尔夫球场和7000家酒吧和夜总会，这表明共享的、面对面休闲娱乐机会的供应正在萎缩。造成这种短缺的原因是多方面的：普遍通胀挤压了可支配收入；企业固定成本飙升；缺乏新的“乐趣基础设施”（如海滨度假村）；日益加剧的不平等使中产阶级望而却步；以及人口结构变化（更多人，包括富裕的婴儿潮一代，争夺更少的名额）。这导致了“高端化机制”的出现，简单的娱乐体验现在价格高昂得令人咋舌，并且采取分级准入，使得曾经普遍的乐趣变得难以负担。 专注于幸福和福祉的经济学家Lord Richard Layard将“乐趣短缺”直接与更广泛的社会问题联系起来。他强调，研究持续表明，社会联系“对人们的幸福感至关重要”。记录在案的社交时间减少直接导致了美国整体幸福感的显著下降，其下降幅度超过几乎所有其他国家，尤其影响年轻人，使美国在青年幸福感方面全球排名第62位。 Layard将这一现象的很大一部分归因于在线生活和社交媒体的兴起，这呼应了Jonathan Haidt关于其“毒害作用”的观点。社交媒体助长了社会比较，并减少了面对面接触——而人类“自古以来”就依赖这种接触来获得乐趣。他指出，包括美国、英国、澳大利亚和加拿大在内的英语国家受到的影响尤为严重，这可能由于科技公司的运作方式以及与拉丁美洲或欧洲大陆等地区相比，家长对社会规范的影响力被认为较弱。 两位嘉宾还谈到了政治影响。Steverman引用了法国和英国的研究，这些研究表明，当地社交场所（酒吧、酒馆、青年俱乐部）的关闭与这些地区逐渐转向右翼和民粹主义投票之间存在关联。Layard对此表示赞同，他指出“不满情绪正在将人们推向极右翼或极左翼立场”。他认为，心理健康和孤独等非经济因素往往比简单的生活水平更能驱动不满情绪，并强调前美国卫生局局长Vivek Murthy曾将孤独确定为一大健康问题。 关于解决方案，Steverman建议地方政客可以促进“乐趣基础设施”的建设，例如免费音乐会或舞会。Layard则倡导基于成本效益来改善幸福感的干预措施。他认为心理治疗（咨询）非常有效，通常能在几年内通过减少福利支出和提高生产力来收回成本。其他具有成本效益的措施包括便利的绿地（公园）和强大的警力，让人们感到混合社交是安全的。相比之下，他指出，在新建道路或铁路上投入巨资，在提升整体生活质量方面往往效果不彰。 讨论以一个有力的信息作结：为了健康的社会和民主，公共政策必须优先考虑人们的满足感、社会互动和心理健康，超越纯粹的经济指标。面对面互动的减少，加上网络参与的加剧，代表着一种根本性的文化转变，Layard认为这种转变“并非好事”，需要重新关注“社交生活”。

The "Next Africa" podcast with Jennifer Zabasaja introduces the continent's growth, capital flows, and digitalization. Following this, Stephanie Flanders of Bloomberg hosts "Trumponomics," focusing on economic shifts. This particular episode delves into an unexpected but critical topic: "the great fun shortage." Flanders introduces the segment by noting that while the cost of living remains a major concern, the cost of "laughing, of having fun" seems to be rising even faster, with fewer opportunities to engage in it. She uses the FIFA World Cup as a prime example, where game tickets were either incredibly scarce or ruinously expensive, with the cheapest final ticket costing 32 times more than its equivalent two years prior. This phenomenon of being priced out of fun, she explains, is part of a broader trend documented in a Bloomberg piece by reporter Ben Steverman, who joins the podcast alongside economist Lord Richard Layard. Ben Steverman recounts how he arrived at this topic, observing "depressing trends" in American Time Use surveys that revealed a significant decrease in face-to-face socializing over the past 20 years. He highlights specific losses, such as 2,000 golf courses and 7,000 bars and nightclubs in America, indicating a shrinking supply of shared, in-person leisure opportunities. The drivers behind this shortage are multifaceted: general inflation squeezing discretionary income, soaring fixed costs for businesses, a lack of new "fun infrastructure" (like beachfront resorts), increasing inequality that prices out the middle class, and demographics (more people, including affluent baby boomers, competing for fewer spots). This has led to "premiumization regimes" where simple fun experiences now come with exorbitant price tags and tiered access, making it difficult to afford what was once a common pleasure. Lord Richard Layard, an economist focused on happiness and well-being, connects the "fun shortage" directly to broader societal issues. He emphasizes that research consistently shows social connections are "absolutely central to people's happiness." The documented decline in time spent socializing directly correlates with a significant drop in overall happiness in the US, which has fallen more than in almost any other country and particularly affects young people, placing the US 62nd globally for youth happiness. Layard attributes much of this to the rise of online living and social media, echoing Jonathan Haidt's view of its "poisoning effect." Social media encourages social comparisons and diminishes face-to-face contact, which humans have relied on for enjoyment "from the beginning of time." He notes that the English-speaking world, including the US, UK, Australia, and Canada, has been disproportionately affected, possibly due to the way tech companies operate and a perceived weaker parental influence on social norms compared to other regions like Latin America or mainland Europe. Both guests also touch upon the political ramifications. Steverman cites studies from France and the UK showing a link between the closure of local social spaces (bars, pubs, youth clubs) and a gradual shift towards more right-wing and populist voting in those areas. Layard reinforces this, stating that "discontent is driving people into extreme right-wing or extreme left-wing positions." He argues that non-economic factors like mental health and loneliness are often more significant drivers of discontent than simple living standards, highlighting former US Surgeon General Vivek Murthy's identification of loneliness as a major health problem. Regarding solutions, Steverman suggests local politicians could foster "fun infrastructure" like free concerts or dance parties. Layard, meanwhile, champions interventions based on cost-effectiveness for improving happiness. He finds psychological therapy (counselling) to be extraordinarily effective, often paying for itself within a couple of years through reduced benefits and increased productivity. Other cost-effective measures include accessible green spaces (parks) and a strong police presence that makes people feel safe to mix. In contrast, he notes that massive expenditures on new roads or railways are often less effective in boosting the overall quality of life. The discussion concludes with a powerful message: for a healthy society and democracy, public policy must prioritize people's contentment, social interaction, and mental well-being, moving beyond purely economic metrics. The decline of face-to-face interaction, exacerbated by online engagement, represents a fundamental cultural shift that, according to Layard, is "not for the better" and requires a renewed focus on "sociable living."