Vintage shopping, listening to old records and really wanting to look at old photos and videos. Sometimes we long for the past. This has everything to do with nostalgia. Why do we feel this and what does it do to you?
Better and safer
When you think back to the past, you probably long for a time when everything was ‘better and safer’. No phones, no social media, a life in which there were no worries for you. This is also called a ‘reminiscence bump’. This is the effect that adults remember the years of their own youth very well and associate a warm and pleasant feeling with them. This has to do with nostalgia.
Nostalgia
Nostalgia is an escape route for those who have had enough of the present: reality, the urge to perform or worries. It provides emotional support and confidence in better times to come, because it used to be so good. You saw this clearly in times of corona. When we all thought about the time we came together and were together. That had to be squared when it was all over! It provides reassurance.
Consequences of nostalgia
When you feel nostalgia, a lot happens in your brain. It increases your sense of well-being, it gives you energy, optimism, creativity and inspiration and feelings of youthfulness. It also encourages you to take risks and pursue goals. So many benefits.
Good memories of the past
So you take refuge in a place of familiarity for a while. Actually quite special. Was everything so good when you were young? You also had homework, children who were not nice to you or perhaps insecurities? Why do you remember this time so fondly? Research shows that the ‘reminiscence bump’ mainly applies to good and happy memories. We put away unhappy and unpleasant moments from the past. As if we turn it into our own, romanticized youth. This is also reflected in motherhood. It is also said that ‘if people’s memories were true to the original, most women would never want more than one child’. So it also has an evolutionary advantage.
Younger self
When you think back to the past, you come into contact with your younger self. Events and things from your past have shaped you and made you who you are today. It is part of you, so keep thinking about it. It will certainly do you good. Just don’t go through with it. You live in the now and the past is behind you. Don’t over-romanticize the past. Watch that old video with your grandma again or sing along to that old song, but then move on. Life now is much too beautiful to keep thinking about the past.
