We can all recognize nostalgia by the warm feeling we get from hearing, seeing, or even smelling something. The brain takes a bunch of enjoyable core memories and creates a highlight reel when something triggers one of those memories, and we feel reminiscent of simpler times or a specific person. We all feel nostalgic when we see our favorite TV shows from when we were young or our very first childhood toy.
Though nostalgia often seems connected to childhood memories, it can also be tied to a person who reminds us of happier times. One major trigger of nostalgia is photos. Rocklin High School Positive Psychology teacher Scott Bergemann said, “Smells, sights, pictures, memories … anything that will trigger a familiar memory that can help bring [back] that nostalgic memory, but pictures I think tend to be a really good one that we have access to these days.”
Nostalgia gives people that warm and fuzzy feeling, but it also promotes a person’s well-being. If you are ever feeling down, dipping into nostalgic memories can help alleviate those negative thoughts temporarily. Nostalgia is a highly social emotion that connects an individual to others. Everyday Health said, “reminiscing with family and friends, watching home videos, or viewing photos from the past can help you feel closer and more connected.”
“People could have an issue processing those nostalgic feelings. Wanting the past to be the present when it can’t be”
Nostalgia can get triggered in many ways, ranging from pictures to memories. Usually, nostalgia is triggered when life gets overwhelming and people long for simpler times. Rocklin High School AP Psychology teacher Eric Sturgeon said, “It’s kind of like the brain’s way of telling you, ‘Hey remember when things were awesome? They can be again.’” Nostalgic memories involve family and friends who remind people of where they belong. Sturgeon said, “[it] reinforce[s] our sense of belonging. When people feel isolated or lonely, those warm and fuzzy memories remind us that we have people who care about us — even if they’re not right in front of us at the moment”.
Although nostalgia is primarily a positive emotion, it can bring spirits down. Rocklin High School’s Positive Psychology teacher Scott Bergemann said, “[Nostalgia] could be potentially overwhelming …. People could have an issue processing those nostalgic feelings. Wanting the past to be the present when it can’t be.” This is a potential downside of stressing individuals out more than before.
Nostalgia helps people move forward as well. It gives a positive emotional boost and helps make people feel optimistic about the future. Rocklin High School’s Positive Psychology teacher Eric Sturgeon said, “This can serve as motivation to seek out more meaningful experiences, pushing us to achieve new goals, or deepen current relationships.” Nostalgia is a bittersweet emotion that is experienced when reminiscing about old memories and relating them to the life we are currently leading.
Nostalgia is present in our everyday lives even when we do not realize it. University of Southern California psychologist Devid Newman and his colleagues did a study in which they had participants download an app that would ping throughout the day and the participants would have to answer a series of questions. Psychology Today, a magazine focused on human behavior and psychology stated, “People felt more nostalgic when they were with family and friends or when they were eating than they did when they were at work or school.” Newman also performed a time-lag analysis to see if they could find a connection between nostalgia and mood. Psychology Today stated, “they correlated each instance of nostalgia with mood later that day or the next day.” The mood they found tended to remain low throughout that period suggesting that nostalgia is ineffective at boosting moods. Another reason behind this could be similar to when we get the flu and take cold medicine it relieves the symptoms. When someone is sad, and they think nostalgic thoughts it does not suddenly make them happy, they still will feel sad, just not as bad as before.
