The past can often be such an appealing place to be, it might be listening to a long-forgotten song or the first time you met a friend, nostalgia can strike at any moment. We’re all guilty of it from time to time, but nostalgia itself gives us an interesting insight the human psyche and studies show that it can actually be good for us, but more on that later.
What is nostalgia?
Firstly, it’s important to understand exactly what nostalgia is. Exactly what it is can be hard to define in words, but everyone has experienced it. That bittersweet feeling of fondly looking into the past whilst being painfully aware that we cannot get that time back. It is important, however, to distinguish between reminiscing, which is recalling the past, and nostalgia, which is conjuring past feelings and emotions. This is essentially what nostalgia boils down to, receiving a stimulus that allows your brain to re-experience past events.
The surprising history of nostalgia
The term was coined by a Swiss Physician Johannes Hofer in 1688 and is a blend of the Greek words for homecoming and pain. Although ‘pain’ may seem like a strange term to use within its modern context, in the past Nostalgia was considered to be a very dangerous illness, with side effects ranging from vomiting to even death. The illness was considered to be akin to what we now know as anxiety or paranoia, however it was taken much more seriously. Swiss soldiers were even forbidden to sing a specific Swiss milking song, Khune-Reyen, under punishment of death. It may seem ridiculous now, but it just goes to show just how far modern medicine has come in such a short time.
How nostalgia can come about
One of the strangest things about this psychological phenomenon is how seeming easy it can be triggered. Looking through old family photos or talking with friends about school yard fads can do the trick, but one of the most powerful triggers is music, and in particular the music we listened to in our teenage years. This is due to how the adolescent brain develops and the higher levels of chemicals linked to pleasure, such as dopamine, present at that time. This in turn leads to more powerful nostalgic feelings during these years. Interesting however, one of the most potent triggers is negative feeling. Studies from the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology in 2006 found that subjects were most likely to nostalgize when feeling depressed or lonely.
How nostalgia can help you
Upon revisiting cherished memories and experiences, most people often get the sense that thing were better in the past; interestingly this is because your brain makes it so. Most of our memories, especially when seen through the prism of nostalgia, are actually not our true memories at all. The brain has an uncanny ability to cherry-pick the best aspects when forming a memory, leaving the less pleasant aspects out. This is one of the contributing factors that makes nostalgia such a powerful emotion.
Nostalgia Marketing
Although nostalgia can have a lot of useful application in modern life, it can be used to exploit. Marketing has been using this technique for years, employing imagery and music in advertisements that create nostalgic feeling. This phenomenon is known as Nostalgia Marketing and car brand are particularly notorious for using it, incorporating music and imagery that resonates with their target market. There’s often a reason you can’t get an advert out of your head for days on end.
Despite the fact that some of our favourite memories may be warped, nostalgia can be a great thing for your mental wellbeing. Studies have shown that nostalgia can make you feel uplifted, more creative and generally happier. It turns out that connecting with our past, especially with others, can help us feel more comfortable in the present and help us make better decisions going forward.
By Ryan Pointon
Nostalgia Trip 
Leave a comment