Nostalgia Doesn’t Upset, Yet it Still Makes Me Dewy-Eyed

Distant memories seem to rebloom in my head every day.

When crumpled doodles catch my eye as I open the drawer, or when my arm brushes the plastic binders filled with yellowing Polaroids from kindergarten, I stop in my tracks, the rims of my eyes reddening. Is it because my fondness for old times that washes over me as I reminisce, or is it the yearning, the aching, for those earlier days?

Sure, time is ticking away every second. Don’t live in the past, I’ve heard my peers say. Better days are coming. But sometimes the world appears to be moving way too quickly. The speed is overwhelming, and we’re leaving what we’ve experienced behind

Well, I’d like to feel nostalgic for just a little longer.

“Nostalgia” comes from the Greek word for homecoming, nostos, and the pain that accompanies, algos. In the 17th century, nostalgia was considered a disorder when a Swiss physician associated soldiers’ mental distress and physical illnesses with their longing to return home. We now use the word to describe a sentimental longing for the past within the experiences we have had, and more recent research finds that regularly dwelling on the past can actually be helpful.

When we “remember,” we often think of things that are important to us. Even though our memories are never entirely accurate, they can make us feel “warm,” according to researcher Xinyue Zhou of Sun Yat-Sen University, and they remind us that our lives have value and meaning. Other researchers have found that nostalgia makes us act kinder toward others and helps us feel less lonely. Dr. Constantine Sedikides of the University of Southampton, who studies nostalgia, believes that it “makes us a bit more human” and that we could benefit from “nostalgizing” a few times a week.

Nostalgia makes me feel that my life is stable. I don’t necessarily want to return home, but I like pondering the roots of me. It provides something palpable in what I’ve been through and gives me motivation to look forward. Nostalgia is what backs me up—my memories complete me.

Does that make “living in the past” a bad thing? I take time to organize the handwritten, glitter embroiled cards that I received in elementary school. I reorganize the photos in my phone from years ago. These actions validate and connect me.

It’s so easy to delete our physical memories these days — all it takes is one click. Instead, try looking for your favorite picture book as a child or a forgotten note in your laptop — take a trip down your memory lane! You won’t feel the penchant for remembering until you experience it for yourself.  

Works Cited

Linders, Ben. “The Benefits of Nostalgia: Q&A with Linda Rising.” InfoQ, InfoQ, 22 Dec. 2020, https://www.infoq.com/news/2020/12/benefits-nostalgia/. 

Tierney, John. “What Is Nostalgia Good for? Quite a Bit, Research Shows.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 8 July 2013, https://www.nytimes.com/2013/07/09/science/what-is-nostalgia-good-for-quite-a-bit-research-shows.html.