Nostalgia is a powerful psychological resource evoking strong emotions that can help us to reconnect with significant moments in our lives. Whether it’s a song we haven’t heard for years taking us back to a long-forgotten memory or the smell of food transporting us back to a key moment in our past, nostalgia is something we all experience at some point in our lives. The power of nostalgia is a fascinating topic that has received much media coverage in recent months as nostalgia, particularly for the 90s and 00s, seems to be everywhere we turn. From the Barbie movie in 2023, to the more recent news of the Oasis reunion gigs, nostalgia is something we crave now, more than ever.
What is nostalgia?
According to Psychology Today, nostalgia is ‘a longing and affection for the past. This can encompass positive emotions such as happiness as well as other emotions.’ From a clinical point of view, nostalgia can act as a grounding mechanism, helping individuals reinforce their sense of self, particularly during periods of uncertainty or change. Nostalgia highlights the powerful link between memory, emotion and identity.
Why do we feel nostalgic?
Feeling nostalgic can help bring us a sense of emotional comfort and familiarity, so it’s no wonder we seek it out, particularly when times are tough. When we’re experiencing negative emotions or responding to difficult moments in our lives (the COVID-19 pandemic is a good example of this) we can yearn for happier times.
Although nostalgia helps us to feel respite and comfort, it’s important to note that there may also be a sense of sadness at the realisation that the experience we’re recalling is now over, the memory is almost bittersweet. Feelings of nostalgia can be triggered by anything from sounds and smells to objects, so it could be a familiar song, an old movie, a place we haven’t visited in a while, or a toy from childhood that sparks a sense of nostalgia.
It brings us together
Nostalgia helps to give us a sense of shared experience with others, which might go some way towards accounting for the recent surge in nostalgia for the 90s and 00s. Nostalgia, especially in relation to music, can have a profound psychological impact, being so deeply intertwined with personal and cultural memories.
When people reconnect with music from their past, like Oasis for example, it ignites strong emotions and helps us to feel connected to others, which is something we all crave. With this in mind, is it any wonder we’ve seen so many reboots and revivals from the past surge in popularity in recent years? Given the power nostalgia has over us, it’s no real surprise that the Oasis gigs sold out in a matter of hours.
The impact of nostalgia on the brain
According to National Geographic, research conducted by Ziyan Yang, a professor at the Chinese Academy of Sciences’ Institute of Psychology, discovered that nostalgia can ‘reduce our perception of pain and enhance our ability to detect threats,’ as well as boosting our general wellbeing, creativity and optimism levels. Yang’s research also revealed that the areas of the brain active during nostalgic recollections were linked to reward processing, emotional regulation, self-reflection and autobiographical memory.
Nostalgia can be helpful when we are looking for emotional comfort or to get ourselves through challenging times, but it’s important to remember that living in the past isn’t always healthy in the long term, so don’t get stuck there. If you’re starting to feel weighed down by a sense of nostalgia, or you’re struggling to stay focused on the present, get in touch with me today to see how I can help to support you.
