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A team of researchers conducted MRI scans on the brains of people who were feeling nostalgic and noticed that the reward system was active at the same time. This means that nostalgia triggers the part of the brain that gives us ‘rewards’ and makes us feel good!
Although invoking nostalgia has been proven to be an effective marketing tool, not much is known about its potential to encourage healthy behaviors. This study is an exciting step in what might be an advantageous direction.
Several studies have found that we tend to have a more positive outlook when we’re feeling nostalgic. It gives us such a strong boost of pleasant emotions that it can reduce anxiety and make us more optimistic about the future.
One study surveyed a group of people about their feelings of loneliness. They found that invoking nostalgia caused the participants to perceive themselves as less lonely.
Those who rated as the most resilient, meaning they had the ability to recover from trauma and difficult situations, tended to use nostalgia as a coping mechanism. Thinking back to happy times and people they appreciated helped them feel more positive and less lonely.
When the participants recalled pleasant memories and became nostalgic, they described their surroundings as warmer and more comfortable than before. So heartwarming memories really are just that!
A study examined the experiences of chronic pain sufferers and found they had a higher tolerance for pain and perceived a reduction in the intensity of their pain while writing about happy memories.
The second group were shown a nostalgic video harking back to the better days before they started smoking. The second group displayed a negative attitude toward smoking afterwards and a greater intent to limit their smoking.
The results of this study combined with the other findings shared earlier suggest that nostalgia has the potential to be a highly effective tool in coping with both mental and physical pain.
This magical, intangible experience called nostalgia can also reduce physical pain! It’s bizarre, but recalling happy memories from the past can improve our ability to cope with pain.
Nostalgia helps us remember our roots, and nostalgic people tend to reflect more on their lives.
Maybe it’s time to get out your journal or call a friend and dive into a “when I was a kid” story. It’s good for your brain!
Sources: (Bustle) (Neurology Live) (Big Think) (Eureka Alert)
They were able to link nostalgia with a tendency to glorify the past, which in some cases also caused people to downplay problematic events. One example given was the participants' ability to alleviate feelings of guilt about Japanese internment camps used during WWII by glorifying the US as a highly moral and superior country.
There are two factors necessary to make a memory nostalgic. One is "chronological remoteness,” which means it’s something that happened a long time ago. The other is “emotional and personal significance."
Something very unique happens in our brains when we experience nostalgia. Neurons that are related to emotional processing jump into action. Nostalgia is the only feeling that connects memory and emotion in the brain.
You’ve probably noticed that nostalgia is a very popular marketing tactic. For instance, Spotify enlisted the luckdragon Falkor from ‘The NeverEnding Story’ for an ‘80s-themed campaign, and Adobe paid homage to Bob Ross in a series of videos for their Photoshop software.
A scientific study in 2017 determined that nostalgia is one of the 27 core <a href="https://www.starsinsider.com/lifestyle/403544/are-you-emotionally-intelligent-heres-how-to-tell" target="_blank">emotions</a> that human beings experience. Of course, nostalgia is that wistful feeling we get when we think back to a happy time or memory. It’s different from simply remembering because it comes with warm feelings and a sense of longing.<br><br>Nostalgia can be triggered by a song that brings you back to a specific time in your life, or a smell that reminds you of holidays when you were a child, among so many other examples. These are natural human experiences that we don’t really question, but there’s a whole lot happening in our brains in those moments.</p>
<p>Click through this gallery to learn more about nostalgia and the amazing ways it benefits us.</p>
Why does nostalgia hold such sway over us, and how does it affect our brains?
It's a lot more than a pleasant feeling!
LIFESTYLE Science
A scientific study in 2017 determined that nostalgia is one of the 27 core emotions that human beings experience. Of course, nostalgia is that wistful feeling we get when we think back to a happy time or memory. It’s different from simply remembering because it comes with warm feelings and a sense of longing.
Nostalgia can be triggered by a song that brings you back to a specific time in your life, or a smell that reminds you of holidays when you were a child, among so many other examples. These are natural human experiences that we don’t really question, but there’s a whole lot happening in our brains in those moments.
Click through this gallery to learn more about nostalgia and the amazing ways it benefits us.