Some new research on nostalgia is getting a lot of media coverage. For some reason, the topic of nostalgia seems particularly fitting to me as we approach the holiday season. If you have an interest in nostalgia, here are some links for you.
First here's the Abstract from the study getting attention in the news: "Nostalgia as a Resource for Psychological Health and Well-Being" (Social and Personality Psychology Compass):
Historically, nostalgia has been viewed as a disease of the brain or the mind. However, in recent years, nostalgia has received a conceptual rehabilitation due to a revival of scholarly interest accompanied by the use of contemporary empirical methods. Drawing upon this recent work, we propose that nostalgia is an important resource for psychological health and well-being. We begin by detailing the characteristics of the nostalgic experience and then discuss a wide range of studies demonstrating that psychological threat triggers nostalgia, nostalgia enhances psychological health and well-being, and nostalgia promotes adaptive psychological functioning among individuals at risk for poor mental health. We also highlight the need for future research on nostalgia’s relation to psychological health.
Click to read the rest.
And "Nostalgic feelings about the past linked to optimism" (Medical News Today).
Finally, here is a blog post in which Wray Herbert looks at nostalgia and at ways we cope with knowing we will eventually die: "The Grim Reaper Heuristic: Loneliness and Zealotry."
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