Nostalgia is a fickle thing.
We’re all prone to reminisce on our past glories and even look at awkward or uncomfortable memories in a positive light. Every memory is rose-tinted and every personal story comes with a warm, fuzzy feeling.
Yet at times, we yearn for the past in a deep and painful way. We long for when life wasn’t as complicated and when we felt more free than we do now.
Nostalgia shapes how we view our past, but at its worst, it traps us in our own memories.
For that reason, we must keep nostalgia in a Goldilocks zone — not too caught up in the past, not too focused on the present and future, but just nostalgic enough. However, this is much easier said than done.
So, we must learn the history behind nostalgia to understand how nostalgic we should be.
The word “nostalgia” actually comes from the Greek words “nostos,” meaning homecoming, and “algos,” meaning pain. The term was first coined in the 17th century by Swiss physician Johannes Hofer, who used it as a mental disorder diagnosis for soldiers who were so homesick they were in pain.
Nostalgia was looked down on for centuries after. And there may be good reason for that.
If one longs for the past too much, they can fall into the traps of depression. This type of depression can result in a grass-is-greener mindset, where nothing is ever good enough because it can’t live up to romanticized memories.
Nostalgia can also fuel political campaigns that promise a return to the glory days of old. This is dangerous for two reasons. First, the appeal to nostalgia is a fantasy — an appeal to emotion and not actually an appeal to a real past.
Second, and arguably more importantly, is that most campaigns fueled by nostalgia do not have concrete plans to return to the past, but rather use it as a tactic to manipulate voters.
A great example of nostalgia in politics was the 2016 campaign run by former President Donald Trump. “Make American Great Again” is quite literally an appeal to a “great” past, and many have pointed out that this glorification of the country’s past comes with its own dangers.
It comes as no surprise, then, that many believe nostalgia is a negative thing. However, nostalgia cannot be simply summed up by its worst parts. We must also acknowledge its positive parts.
Despite the pain, nostalgia helps us remember what’s important. Looking back on meaningful times, people and places tells us how our past still affects us and can ground our sense of identity.
Nostalgia also reminds us of our relationships, which can be extremely important at times when socializing is close to impossible. When we cannot see our loved ones, nostalgia allows us to revisit times when we could.
“Sentimental recollections often include loved ones, which can remind us of a social web that extends across people—and across time,” according to an article from Scientific American.
Nostalgia’s good and bad usually exist simultaneously — the bittersweet pain of homecoming.
The Goldilocks zone for nostalgia — maximizing the happiness and minimizing the pain — is dependent not on any objective truth about nostalgia, but rather on the experience itself.
If we are feeling down because of the past, then we need to live more in the moment. However, if we experience joy and happiness from our memories, then we should continue to let it give us hope and meaning.
Nostalgia may be fickle, but we can all benefit from it if we so choose.
