The Meaning Of Nostalgia

Nostalgia is longing for the past, particularly for a time or place where we had good experiences or that generate good memories. It can be a specific time or the “good time” of youth, for example.

In past centuries nostalgia was believed to be a disease, but today we know that it is just a state of mind.  

Feeling nostalgic can lead us, in turn, to navigate between feelings of loneliness, lack of meaning in life and disconnection with those around us. It can anchor us in the past, forgetting that what exists is now.

However, other times it can improve the mood and offer us greater security. As long as, yes, we do not have to resort to it constantly. Nostalgia is present when coming into contact with a scent, an object, a sound or an image. In short, something that evokes a piece of yesterday.

Is nostalgia good for anything? 

Wildschut, Tim, Sedikides, Constantine, Arndt conducted a study in 2006 that was published in the Journal of personality and Social Psychology . According to this work,  people usually experience this state as a way to find vital impulse at a given moment.

It would therefore fulfill a psychological purpose and an emotional reinforcement. Likewise, with such well-known books as  The Future of Nostalgia  , by Svetlana Boym, they remind us that there are two different types of nostalgia: “restorative” nostalgia and “reflective” nostalgia.

The first tries to return to the past because it sees in that moment of yesterday, a state of happiness and well-being. Reflective nostalgia, on the other hand, is the healthiest. She is the one who returns from time to time to the past but understands that what matters is the here and now. The experience is an indelible legacy to appreciate but where not to stay too long.

Let’s see, however, what more functions nostalgia has.

1. Emotional preparation

Nostalgia prepares you for new experiences similar to those of the past. In this case, it is complemented by the expectation. It fills you with enthusiasm and excitement for what you hope for.

Remembering past experiences and imagining the future makes you feel stronger in a short time, because you feel more secure. It is easier for you to fulfill a goal or dream if you emotionally associate it with past success.

2. It makes you more creative

By providing us with sensations and emotions, it also reminds us of their lack. This will make you move to bring back what you long for. Sometimes it can translate into buying something and other times in starting new relationships, or changing our attitudes. A thousand and one ways to create to obtain and feel again what we experience.

3. Create or strengthen emotional connections

Many friendships endure or are made stronger by nostalgia. Have you met an old childhood friend and when you talk about the past, the relationship is reborn? Something similar happens with couples who talk about it before ending the relationship and find many memories and experiences that they do not want to lose.

4. It gives you more security

It has been shown that in moments of transition, calm or when we face cold weather, nostalgia gives us some support. It may seem weird, but even the mere memory of a day at the beach can make you feel that warm.

The same happens when you face a new experience that generates uncertainty. As you recall a situation in which you did well and were successful, your expectations change.

The risks of nostalgia

The psychiatrist Luis Rojas, explains in his book Antidotes for nostalgia something that we must consider. This state often traps us in situations where we do not give way to innovation, impulse, personal advancement. It puts fences to our ability to advance and grow as people.

When this emotion causes us to distort and idealize the past, we will begin to let go of many things.

Nostalgia can chain us to the past and make us forget and disconnect from our day to day. In fact, it is not uncommon to find people who consider that the best of their lives is over and do what they can to get it back.

It can be youth, a relationship, some material possession, etc. Regardless of the object of their longing, everyone agrees on the unhappiness that this memory brings them. The key is learning to live in the present using nostalgia to move into the future.