The Power of Nostalgia
By: Cassie Regan
Tags: Mindfulness, Life, Culture, Self, Psychology

The Power of Nostalgia

Combat Current Lows With Past Highs

Photo by Dale de Vera on Unsplash

You can’t live your life in the past — be in the present moment. But what if the present moment is not so pleasant? Granted, it is not healthy to live entirely in the past, but how about just vacationing there for a little while? Taking a trip down memory lane can be psychologically soothing, and given that we are currently living in some pretty intense times; it is no surprise that we turn to the past for comfort. Enter nostalgia.

“Nostalgia is a sentimental longing or wistful affection for the past, typically for a period or place with happy personal associations.”-Oxford Languages

You may have heard it from your parents and especially your grandparents, “well back in my day…” They talk about the ‘good ole days’ when things were simpler. When there were no computers, no cell phones, no social media. Of course, every generation has their hardships, but flash forward to today. The world around us is currently in a state of chaos with the global pandemic, economic crisis, social injustices, natural disasters, divisiveness and an overall sense of helplessness. It has taken a toll on the mental health of many. I am not a psychologist and have no authority to be giving any mental health advice, but I do listen to others that are.

“It’s comforting to have a nostalgic feeling for the past that reminds us that although we don’t know what the future is going to bring, what we do know is that we know who we have been and who we really are.”-Krystine Batcho, Ph.D. and Professor of Psychology

A short visit to those ‘better times’ can actually do wonders for your present mental state. I have felt the positive effect nostalgia can have, especially recently. The pandemic had us shut our doors to the outside world. Many of us turned to our television to pass the time and make the isolation more bearable. With streaming services giving us full range to binge the shows and movies of the past, never had nostalgia been so easy to access.

I wrote this article after rewatching Game of Thrones. I convinced my sister, who had not seen it, that she was missing out on one of life’s essential experiences. After some intense resistance and several eye rolls, she finally agreed. Something extraordinary and unexpected happened to me in the process. Each time we pressed play and the ‘dun nun na na nun nun’ blared through the screen and Westeros and The Wall came into view, I was transported. Not to the seven kingdoms where dragons flew the skies and white walkers roamed the mountains, but to seven years ago in my apartment in Boston. Even though the show itself is filled with murder, mayhem and betrayal; it was the positive memories of watching it with friends and loved ones the first time that filled my head. It transported me to a simpler time, a happy time.

I had a similar experience when I recently introduced my nephew to Save by the Bell. Watching Zack plan his schemes to get the girl and get out of the test instantly made me smile. I smiled reminiscing of when I was a kid and my friends and I were deciding whether we were Team Zack or Team Slater. It was before the drama filled shows needed to address serious issues like school shootings and teen pregnancy. When Lisa spraining her ankle and not being able to compete in the dance competition was the epitome of a huge problem.

You see it everywhere these days — the throwbacks, the reunions, the remakes. We are grasping for reminders of those times. You could be a skeptic and say that we are just running out of fresh new ideas and simply rebranding old ones, but I would argue that we are seeking out something more. I believe we are seeking out a sense of safety, of security, of comfort. There is a reason that live-action versions of Disney Classics are coming to the screen, that Stranger Things was set in the 80’s, that Fuller House has been so successful, and TBT became such a wildly popular hashtag. We are all craving a bit of nostalgia.

Obviously it is important to live presently and make the most out of our current situation. But every once in a while, I also believe it is important to give our mind and our soul a little break. There is a reason that classics are classics. It is not because they were the most epic movie, song, book or other contribution of that generation; it is because they instilled in us a frozen moment in time. They trigger memories and experiences that bring us comfort.

“Nostalgia has been shown to counteract loneliness, boredom and anxiety. It makes people more generous to strangers and more tolerant of outsiders. Couples feel closer and look happier when they’re sharing nostalgic memories. On cold days, or in cold rooms, people use nostalgia to literally feel warmer.” -John Tierney, New York Times

So in this crazy time, when we are all searching for answers and asking ourselves what the future will hold; take a step back, a big step. Step back into the past and you just might find exactly what you were looking for.