“Research suggests that what people feel most nostalgic for does vary across the lifespan,” explains Batcho. Nostalgia can be soothingīut how susceptible you might be to these elements might depend on your age or where you are in life. A study published in Neuron showed that participants were willing to pay "to reminisce about a positive past experience." Another study done by researchers from the University of South Hampton, Grenoble Ecole de Management and the University of Minnesota found participants were much more willing to buy a product or donate to a cause after positive reactions to a nostalgic advertisement. “Research has found that feeling nostalgic is also connected to a decreased desire for money and thus a greater willingness to pay more for products," explains Zengel. Nostalgic promotions in marketing and advertising also allow consumers to recall positive emotions linked to the past. Through reboots of past success stories, Hollywood targets our vulnerability in the hopes that we'll tune in. The year 2021 produced similarly long lists, with over 25 reboots of nostalgic franchises, like Avatar the Last Airbender and Clueless, announced. In 2020 (once filming was allowed to resume), we saw announcements for 55 updates of old favorites like Fresh Prince, The Babysitter’s Club and American Pie. Hollywood loves a reboot, but in the past couple of years, there’s been an explosion of them. How pop culture plays on nostalgic tendencies “Looking back as we anticipate moving forward at special occasions such as weddings and graduations reassures us when we face the uncertainty of the future,” she explained. Stress can also be a potential factor, since a nostalgic response can help your body and mind settle down.Īlthough it can happen at any time, nostalgia is triggered most strongly during transitional periods, says Batcho. Less tangible things, like conversations with loved ones and even smells, tastes or music from particular periods, can likewise cause nostalgia, Zengel points out. She also cites adolescence as a period most likely to trigger nostalgia. 40 Things Every '90s Mallrat Will RememberĪrtifacts such as yearbooks and souvenirs (literally French for “ to remember”), are also known to set off nostalgia, since such items hold a bit of our past, explains Krystine Batcho, Ph.D., a psychologist specializing in nostalgia at Le Moyne College.Personal nostalgia is yearning for the past in regards to one’s individual experience, such as looking back fondly at the fun summer you spent at sleep-away camp. Examples involve reliving one’s college glory days or time spent as part of a sports team. Collective nostalgia is a person’s experience as part of a larger group and their understanding of the past within that context. There are two types of nostalgia, according to psychologist and nostalgia expert Bettina Zengel, Ph.D., of the University of Essex. Here’s how the science of nostalgia works, as well as the signs that you’re spending too long wandering your memory banks. While nostalgia can be an effective antidote to stress and anxiety, when a trip down memory lane goes on for too long, it can actually make you feel worse. While it can be comforting to relive happy memories from the past by scrolling through old photos and watching old favorites that remind us of our youth ( Sex and the City, anyone?) there can actually be a downside to too much reminiscing. Experts say stressful times (like say, living through a global pandemic) - along with sensory input like music and smells - are one of the main triggers of nostalgia. Even as the world inches towards normalcy, many of us still aren’t quite there. It’s no surprise that the uncertainty of the last 18+ months have many of us yearning for the past, scrolling through old photos and reliving memories, wishing we were anywhere but the present.
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