Many of us recall with comfort a favorite song from the past when it comes on the radio, or the smell of food that reminds us of a happy time with family. Parents often long for easier days which didn’t require diapers or bags of supplies to leave the house for an hour, or days when sleep wasn’t such a limited resource, or having time to read a book or watch TV uninterrupted.
Memories like these refer to nostalgia, which is a longing for the past. While nostalgia had once been considered a sad or negative emotion, and the common school of thought was that if people hang on to the past it is hard to adjust to new realities, recent research shows that nostalgia can boost your overall health and well-being.
How does science support this? Nostalgia has been shown to be good for us by increasing social connectedness, improving well-being, and providing feelings of continuity. Additionally, nostalgia seems to emerge when we go through challenging times. When we think about the past and important people in our lives who made us feel loved, it is not surprising that reflecting on those times makes us feel connected. One study found that feelings of longing for people who cared about us in the past helped buffer against loneliness.
Nostalgia can be a powerful way to help find meaning in life. This means having a sense of purpose and knowing that your existence matters. In one study, people who listened to music that brought them back to a meaningful time in their life felt loved and connected and helped them feel their life had more coherence or purpose.
Nostalgia can also help us move forward in life and serve as a motivating factor to seek important life goals, both because it improves mood and reinforces a sense of meaning. Nostalgia can help people feel more open to new experiences, expand their horizons, and be curious. Studies find that nostalgia seems to protect people from negative states of mind and enhances emotional stability. Engaging in nostalgia may even build psychological resilience, since compared to an ordinary memory, nostalgic memories have a strong emotional quality and are important in how people see themselves.
While there are many benefits to nostalgia, be cautious of the possible downside if it begins to impede your ability to recognize joy in the present. Using nostalgia to prevent you from dealing with present problems can be an avoidance strategy that is counterproductive.
Overall, there are many benefits, so taking a walk down memory lane every now and again just might help you deal with challenges that await!
All Blogs are written by Professionals in the fields of Nutrition, Human Development and Diabetes.