Episode 171: Nostalgia for younger years and the benefits of looking back
Nostalgia for younger years and the benefits of looking back - Episode 171
“Nostalgia is bittersweet.” This week I am talking about nostalgia. Triggered by a movie, The Adam Project, I mentioned how I thought it would be so fun to go back in time and see myself. I also tell how I came across some fun videos when my kids were little which made me also nostalgic for when they were little. As a way to gain a little understanding I share a handful of benefits from looking back at our lives.
Show Notes: Hi Friends! I hope you enjoyed listening to this episode. Below are all the references.
What I learned this week - Nostalgia is a healthy thing. It is good to look back, even though you know you can't go back to that time.
It is a valuable coping mechanism. It enhances connection and belonging.
Rosy retrospection Rosy Retrospection - we tend to look back at the past with Rosy colored glasses
“In the brain, this process involves selective memory retrieval, a fascinating mechanism where positive memories are more readily accessible than negative ones. This positive bias in recall contributes significantly to feelings of nostalgia. Neurologically, this could be attributed to the brain's reward pathways being triggered when recalling positive memories, reinforcing the experience of nostalgia." (Mirage news, Why we long for the past: The science of Nostalgia)
It improves our mood. Nostalgia can be triggered by loneliness or grief but then can lead us to feeling better. It’s mood building benefits can happened when we focus on what we have gained from the experience.
It makes life feel more meaningful -” In one series of studies, participants who underwent a nostalgia induction perceived life as more meaningful and had fewer intrusions of death-related thoughts after a reminder of mortality compared to those in control conditions.”
“Nostalgia can be especially useful for changing the way we think about hardships from the past. It can help us construct redemption narratives that focus on how we’ve triumphed over adversity, learned something valuable, or made the best of a bad situation.”
It connects us with others - studies suggest that most nostalgic memories are social in nature meaning they involve other people.
It makes us feel warmer, literally - It can make us feel warmer. “And just as sadness and loneliness can trigger nostalgia, so too can physical coldness: Remarkably, participants felt more nostalgic on colder days and in colder rooms. The researchers argue that nostalgia might serve a homeostatic function, helping to regulate body temperature.”
It makes the future look brighter. “...looking back fondly seems to help us look forward optimistically.” reminding us that hard times can be good again.
(From Surprising reasons you should look back at the past, Psychology Today )
“Nostalgia is bittersweet. Why did it evolve that way? If you take a social evolutionary perspective, it would make perfect sense that we would want to revisit our past so that we always learn from it. At the same time, we don't want to stay in the past. The sweetness entices us to revisit our past. Once we're there, the bitterness of knowing that actually it no longer exists reminds us that we must return to the present. That makes us want to return to the present.” (Does Nostalgia have a psychological purpose)
Podcast - Speaking Psychology - Does Nostalgia have a psychological purpose. Host Kaitlin Luna Guest - Dr. Kristine Batcho - professor of psychology at LeMoyne College in Syracuse, New York. "She's an expert on nostalgia and develops the nostalgia inventory, a survey that assesses proneness to personal nostalgia.”
