I’m sure most of us missed the bittersweet smell of our college and the memory of it during these long holidays. Since we can't do anything about it, sit, have a cup of coffee and let's think about it, indulging in the happiness and the sadness it brings along. This is what nostalgia is about. Nostalgia is the emotional yearning or plaintive fondness for a time in the past. It comes from the Greek word 'nostos'- the longing of a person to return home -and 'algos'- the pain that is embedded into it.
The term 'nostalgia' was first coined by Johannes Hoffer, a Swiss doctor, in 1688. He described it as a "neurological disease of essentially demonic cause". This was because military physicians conjectured that a psychological disorder of longing to go back home was prevalent in Swiss mercenaries abroad. After that, reliving in the past was considered a trait to be avoided at all cost as it could trap a person in the past and not allow them to live in the present. Comparing things with how they were in the past to how they are in the present and continuing to visit the past memories was considered a negative and disastrous emotion by psychologists all around the world.
But nostalgia and its meaning took a new turn in the last century. Dr Sedikides, a psychology professor who worked at the University of California, moved to Southampton, England. Upon arriving, he found himself wanting to live in the past. When asked by his colleagues, he said, “I did live my life forward, but sometimes I couldn’t help thinking about the past, and it was rewarding. Nostalgia made me feel that my life had roots and continuity. It made me feel good about myself and my relationships. It provided a texture to my life and gave me the strength to move forward.”
This motivated him to research and become a pioneer in a field that still baffles psychologists today. During the 19th and the 20th centuries, nostalgia was considered as an immigrant psychosis, a facet of melancholia and a mentally repressive compulsive disorder but for the past few years, it is looked upon as an antidote and a tool. Batcho, a psychologist as well a professor in Lemoyne college says, “Nostalgia is an emotional experience that unifies; it helps to unite our sense of who we are, our self, our identity over time because over time we change constantly in incredible ways.”
Nostalgic stories aren’t always happy. With joy comes pain, a sense of loss that can be depressing. It could worsen a person's present situation-- psychologists name it self-discontinuity, a concept clearly explained by Stephen Stills in ‘Suite: Judy Blue Eyes’. But recent research shows as a collective, the positive elements exceed the negative elements. “Nostalgic stories often start badly, with some kind of problem, but then they tend to end well, thanks to help from someone close to you. So, you end up with a stronger feeling of belonging and affiliation, and you become more generous toward others,” explains Dr Sedikides.
A sense of nostalgia is universal but research shows that nostalgic yearning occurs frequently especially during periods of transition. Change is inevitable. Luckily, nostalgia comes in handy and helps us to move on.
Long considered a perilous trap, nostalgia is now considered a powerful psychological tool. By bringing the past into the present, helps supplement self-continuity and augments social-connectedness, which helps people find meaning to their life. It serves as a shield and a buffer against existential threats while providing benefits like overcoming depression, anxiety, low-stress level, acting as a companion during boredom and increased subjective vitality. Indulging in nostalgia helps people understand that they are meaningful and valuable. Researches show nostalgic people are better off dealing with issues related to death.
Wildschut states, “Nostalgia compensates for uncomfortable states, for example, people with feelings of meaninglessness or a discontinuity between past and present. What we find in these cases is that nostalgia spontaneously rushes in and counteracts those things. It elevates meaningfulness, connectedness and continuity in the past. It is like a vitamin and an antidote to those states. It serves to promote emotional equilibrium, homeostasis.”
Research also shows that the best way to trigger nostalgia is to listen to music. Other things like cooking a well-loved meal, visiting a particular place, sharing stories with others and looking through photographs also invoke moments of nostalgia. So if you ever feel bored or are going through a hard time, try taking a stroll in your past.
Antonette Riana. C
19/UELA/020
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