Nostalgia is often touted as an unhelpful emotion, but recent research suggests reminiscing about the past can enrich our present and guide us towards a more fulfilling future.
“When we engage in nostalgia, we are not moving toward the past. We are bringing the past to the present to help us plan for the future. Nostalgia pushes us forward, not back,” writes nostalgia researcher and psychologist Clay Routledge in his book Past Forward: How Nostalgia Can Help You Live a More Meaningful Life.
We’ve all experienced nostalgia: a whiff of perfume, a familiar song, a faded photograph. These things can spur deep waves of longing for the past, for places, people or a version of ourselves we wish we could return to.
Although looking back might sometimes be seen as unhelpful, a way of keeping you “stuck in the past” instead of living mindfully in the present, an increasing body of research suggests that embracing nostalgia actually boosts your wellbeing. Nostalgia can evoke joy, make you more creative, strengthen social bonds, increase your problem-solving abilities and help you feel more connected with your sense of self and purpose.
