Exploring Positive Effects of Nostalgia
- 11 years ago
Everyone knows the feeling of longing for past times in their life, but now scientists have taken a closer look at the universal feeling of nostalgia, and found that it can prevent loneliness, boredom or anxiety.
Everyone knows the feeling of longing for past times in their life, but now scientists have taken a closer look at the universal feeling of nostalgia, and found that it can prevent loneliness, boredom or anxiety.
Researchers from the University of Southampton, England conducted a study on the effects and causes of nostalgia.
They had a group of subjects read about a deadly disaster, and had them take a personality test to see if they were prone to feelings of loneliness.
The people who reacted with sadness at reading about the loss of disaster victims, or the ones who were lonelier tended to become nostalgic, and interestingly they in turn felt less sad or lonely.
Nostalgia might have some evolutionary advantages too.
Doctor Tim Wildschut from the University of Southamptom who worked on the study said: “If you can recruit a memory to maintain physiological comfort, at least subjectively, that could be an amazing and complex adaptation. It could contribute to survival by making you look for food and shelter that much longer.”
The data shows that most people feel nostalgic once a week, and almost half of the people feel nostalgia three or four times a week.
Everyone knows the feeling of longing for past times in their life, but now scientists have taken a closer look at the universal feeling of nostalgia, and found that it can prevent loneliness, boredom or anxiety.
Researchers from the University of Southampton, England conducted a study on the effects and causes of nostalgia.
They had a group of subjects read about a deadly disaster, and had them take a personality test to see if they were prone to feelings of loneliness.
The people who reacted with sadness at reading about the loss of disaster victims, or the ones who were lonelier tended to become nostalgic, and interestingly they in turn felt less sad or lonely.
Nostalgia might have some evolutionary advantages too.
Doctor Tim Wildschut from the University of Southamptom who worked on the study said: “If you can recruit a memory to maintain physiological comfort, at least subjectively, that could be an amazing and complex adaptation. It could contribute to survival by making you look for food and shelter that much longer.”
The data shows that most people feel nostalgic once a week, and almost half of the people feel nostalgia three or four times a week.