Nostalgia is often portrayed as lighthearted entertainment, or worse, a mental barrier to living fully in the present and planning for the future.
However, most Americans have a deeper appreciation for the human tendency to sentimentally reflect on the past. Their personal views are consistent with a growing body of scientific research revealing that nostalgia is a powerful psychological resource that helps us change our lives for the better. There’s also a reason why “nostalgia marketing” is taking the world by storm, with the Pepsi rebrand just the latest example of corporate retrospection.
My view of nostalgia is informed by over two decades of experience conducting laboratory and field studies and working as a consultant for a range of businesses, from small startups to large companies. In my forthcoming book, Past Forward: How Nostalgia Can Help You Live a More Meaningful Life, I argue that nostalgia is really more about the present and the future than the past. Nostalgia improves our well-being when we are going through difficult times, it fuels our creativity, and, critically, it encourages us to live more intentionally in the present and approach the future with hope and purpose.
Why we turn to nostalgia
Nostalgia has a long history dating back to the late 17th century of being considered a mental weakness, a barrier to progress, and even a brain disorder. Today, consumers clearly love music, books, movies, television shows, video games, food, vacations, and even cutting-edge technologies that take them on a trip down memory lane. But do they view nostalgia as being more than retro-themed fun?
To find out, The Human Flourishing Lab at the Archbridge Institute partnered with NORC at the University of Chicago and surveyed a nationally representative sample of 2,000 adults in the United States to learn how Americans experience nostalgia and act upon it in their lives.
Previous laboratory research indicates that, when people are prompted to engage in nostalgic reflection, they tend to bring to mind cherished experiences involving loved ones, which increases the perception of their lives being meaningful.
This time around, Americans still seemingly agree that nostalgic memories are deeply social and existentially significant, with 73% indicating that their nostalgic memories are best characterized as social memories involving family, romantic partners, or close friends. And 84% believe that their nostalgic memories remind them of what is most important in their lives.
Our previous research also finds that people often turn to nostalgia when they are experiencing distressing psychological states such as sadness, loneliness, and a lack of meaning. This is, in part, because nostalgia has a soothing effect during tough times. Our current survey finds that most Americans appreciate the psychologically comforting nature of nostalgia, with 77% of Americans agreeing that nostalgic memories are a source of comfort when life is uncertain or difficult.
A psychological resource
Nostalgia does more than serve as a reminder and offer solace when life is hard. Nostalgia also inspires us to improve our lives and the lives of others. Studies find that nostalgia increases self-control, self-confidence, goal motivation, resilience, optimism, creativity, and prosocial behavior. Indeed, over 70% of Americans report that their nostalgic memories are a source of inspiration when life is uncertain or difficult.
Nostalgia’s greatest–and perhaps most underappreciated–power is its capacity to help us plan our futures. When we struggle to figure out what path to take in life, nostalgic reflection focuses our minds on personally meaningful life experiences and the people with whom we shared those experiences, giving us direction on how to move forward. Fewer Americans appear to recognize this positive feature of nostalgia, yet most (59%) claim their nostalgic memories offer guidance when they aren’t sure what direction to take in life.
Our survey also identified a generational trend. The older people are, the more likely they are to view nostalgic memories as reminders of what is most important in life and as sources of comfort, inspiration, and guidance. Older people have more life experiences to draw upon, but most adults–regardless of age–find nostalgia to be a psychological resource for dealing with current challenges and finding a way forward.
Importantly, the social nature of people’s nostalgic memories is strongly related to their beliefs about nostalgia. Americans whose nostalgic memories generally involve experiences with family, romantic partners, and close friends are more likely to view nostalgia as a reminder of what is most important in life and as a source of comfort, inspiration, and guidance than Americans whose nostalgic memories do not involve these close relationships. Nostalgia has great psychological power, in large part because it focuses our attention on the people who make our lives worth living.
Beyond entertainment, most Americans also see the deeper value of nostalgia. We don’t look to the past sentimentally to avoid the challenges of the present and future–we do it to tackle those challenges head-on.
Clay Routledge is vice president of research and director of the Human Flourishing Lab at the Archbridge Institute, and author of the forthcoming book, Past Forward: How Nostalgia Can Help You Live a More Meaningful Life.
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