Nostalgia is a feeling of wanting to return to the past, with a sense that the past was better or pleasanter in some way than the present.

Like regret, nostalgia focuses on an unattainable past. However, they differ in that nostalgia is pleasant, with a longing to return, where regret wishes that the past had been different.

Nostalgia is often described as sentimental or even wistful, and may carry tones of sadness at what is gone. However, it is overall a happy feeling, and carries psychological benefits. This page explains more about nostalgia and how to harness its benefits without wallowing in it.

Defining Nostalgia

The word nostalgia was first coined some 300 years ago to describe a feeling of homesickness.

Over the years, the meaning has broadened to the sense in which we now know the word, of a longing for the past (see box).

Psychologists distinguish between personal and historical nostalgia. Personal nostalgia is associated with thinking about a 'personal' past: that is, something that we ourselves can remember. Historical nostalgia is for a time or place that we cannot personally remember, but we have been told or read about. Historical nostalgia is often associated with being unhappy about the present, whereas personal nostalgia is more likely to be associated with being generally happy and looking back with pleasure.

Four Elements to Nostalgia

Research suggests that there are four elements that make up nostalgia. These are:

• Self-reflection, in a way that links your past with your present;

• Autobiographical memory, which is about processing your past in the present, and may be either positive or negative as a feeling;

• Emotional regulation, because nostalgia can change your mood, and can therefore be an important part of regulating how you feel; and

• Reward, because nostalgia is largely a positive emotion, so your brain is rewarded for engaging in it.

These four elements are interlinked in producing and managing nostalgia.

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The Purpose of Nostalgia

Like all emotions, nostalgia is thought to have an evolutionary purpose for humans.

Psychologists believe that it helps to unify us, in several ways. In particular, it helps to tie our present to our past, and therefore give us a sense of who we are, and what we want to be in the future. This can help us to find more meaning in our lives.

In this way, nostalgia works a little like regret, which helps us to decide what we don't want to be or do in future. Like regret, it can also be bitter-sweet, because we cannot return to the past, but we can remember what was good about it.

Nostalgia is also a social emotion, tying us to people that we love. It keeps us reaching out to friends and family, instead of constantly looking ahead to new relationships. It therefore has a function of keeping social groups together. Sharing memories and reminiscing together can also be very cohesive, so shared nostalgia can be a way to bond with friends.

Research suggests that the people most likely to feel nostalgic are actually young adults.

This is interesting, because most of us would probably say that older people were most likely to be looking back at the past—but this is not the case. Psychologists suggest that this may be because young adults are moving through a period of rapid transition from being dependent on their parents to being independent, and looking forward to having families and romantic relationships of their own. They are therefore looking back at their families for a model (either positive or negative).

Nostalgia is also very comforting.

This is particularly important at times of change, because personal change is often difficult to manage (and there is more about why this is so in our page on Personal Change Management Skills). Nostalgia at times of change can give us an anchor and remind us of who we are, and also about times that felt simpler or easier.

Finally, nostalgia can be a way of marking time. When we are reminded of the past, we see how far we, or those around us, have come.

However, there is a danger in using memories in this way.

This is because memories are not accurate. We suppress the 'bad' bits, and promote the good. This applies to both personal and what we might call cultural memories, such as films, books or TV shows. They tend to romanticise the past. A bit like social media, they show the story that the creator of the book, show or film wanted to tell.

A Thinking Trap—or a Positive Force?

A search for 'great writing' or quotes on nostalgia will give you a sense that nostalgia is not exactly seen as a positive force, even though it is undoubtedly a pleasant feeling.

The overwhelming feeling can probably be summed up in the quote from Gulzar below.

Many writers, especially satirists, have had a lot of fun pointing out the limitations of nostalgia.

It certainly has its limitations.

It is also possible to become trapped in the past by nostalgia. This happens particularly where people do not have anyone with whom they share memories. They can therefore become isolated in their nostalgia, and it can become a 'thinking trap'.

However, nostalgia is clearly not all bad.

We already know that it has a clear evolutionary function, and helps to bring people together, and help them to stay true to themselves. It is also worth saying that it is generally positive. People who are nostalgic do not tend to get angry or upset about the past being different and gone. Instead, the emotions associated with nostalgia tend to be 'good' emotions like compassion and empathy. It is therefore important to learn to manage the negative effects, and avoid spending too much time being nostalgic.

Managing Nostalgia

There are several ways that you can avoid the negative 'traps' of nostalgia. These include:

• Focusing on what is good about your present life. We know that it is important to learn the lessons of the past, but you also need to think about the positives of what is happening now. Practices associated with mindfulness may be helpful here.

• Build connections in the present. Talk to those around you, and try to build connections with them. You can do this by connecting to the past—for example, by comparing memories—or find common ground in the present, for example, in conversations about current affairs.

• Do things that make you happy. This will help you to boost your mood, and also to feel more positive generally (you may also be interested to read our page on Positive Thinking).

• Use nostalgia as a signal. Nostalgia can be a signal about something that we have lost that we want to regain, either societally or personally. It can be a powerful motivator, and can therefore help you to take action to move towards a future that you want. For example, one study found that nostalgia-induced optimism about physical health could encourage people to become more active.

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A Final Thought

American editor and writer Peter de Vries famously commented that:

"Nostalgia isn't what it used to be."

This simple statement defines nostalgia, and also neatly encapsulates both its main problem, and its main attraction. However, it does not encapsulate the practical benefits of nostalgia such as building connections over sharing memories. It also does not recognise that nostalgia can also tell us what was good in the past, and that we may have inadvertently lost in a desire for progress.

We tend to avoid nostalgia because we do not want to start regretting what is gone or living in the past. However, looking back at the past does not have to end in regrets. Instead, it can drive positive change to re-establish or re-discover what we have lost.

It may be time to recognise that nostalgia does have a function, and it is up to us to use it in the right way.

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