Featuring: Michelle Nealon, President at The Chicago School of Professional Psychology
mnealon@thechicagoschool.edu
The last two and a half years have taken an overwhelming toll on many people. Stress, depression, anxiety, and other mental disorders are at an all-time high. The pandemic has inflamed an already stressed-out world. With the unpredictability of COVID variants, the ups and downs of the economy, and one extreme change after another, people need a way to cope. Many are turning to nostalgia as a defense mechanism. “In times of adversity, we tend to look back to when things were less stressful—more predictable,” espouses Michelle Nealon, President at The Chicago School of Professional Psychology.
What is Nostalgia?
What is nostalgia? Nealon asks, “Ever have that moment out of the blue when you smell or see something and within split seconds you are taken back to something you haven’t thought about in years and we find ourselves reflecting?” Nostalgia is all about memories. In most cases, overwhelmingly positive memories that can be intensely emotional in nature.
Nostalgia wasn’t always viewed in such a favorable way. The term, coined by Swiss physician Johannes Hofer, comes from the Greek words nostos, which means return or homecoming, and algos, meaning pain. In his 1688 dissertation, Hofer saw the experience as a suffering experience because of a desire to return home. He described it as a “neurological disease of essentially demonic cause.” He believed that it was caused by “the quite continuous vibration of animal spirits through those fibers of the middle brain in which impressed traces of ideas of the Fatherland still cling.” The only remedy according to Hofer was “a return to the homeland.”
Today’s research is a bit more optimistic. University of Southampton psychology professors Dr. Constantine Sedikides and Tim Wildschut study nostalgia and describe its impact in the following way: “The net effect is to make life seem more meaningful and death less frightening. When people speak wistfully of the past, they typically become more optimistic and inspired about the future.”
Valentina Stoycheva, Ph.D. examines the dark side of nostalgia: “the difference between helpful and harmful nostalgia is the difference between incorporating the positive emotions of reminiscing into the present, versus renouncing the present for the sake of reinstating and perpetually reliving some moment in the past.” Nealon expands by saying one can be pulled back to a world that feels familiar and is somehow idealized. The result could be harmful if an individual is stuck with coping strategies from the “good old days” and no longer dealing with the stress or dissatisfaction in the moment.
The Good Old Days
Were the good old days really so good? In some ways, we see nostalgia as positive because it is definable, controllable–and because our memories are often inaccurate or incomplete. Nealon notes that we erroneously believe our memories are fully accurate and intact, but psychological processes can change and alter memories over time. “You may be speaking with people you grew up with and say ‘remember when we did this’, and they say ‘No, that’s not what happened.’“ We have a tendency to reflect on the happiest, most stand-out signature memories that confirm what we want or prefer at an individual level. “This isn’t necessarily a bad thing,” reveals Nealon. “It is natural to want to reflect on the time in our lives when things were positive. Especially when things aren’t going well, reflecting on positive experiences in the past can bring us a positive emotional boost.” Maybe the truth doesn’t always set you free.
Nealon gives us an example: Electric cars are becoming more and more prevalent. We are going to hear people say, “Remember when we would go and pump gas; remember when we didn’t have to try and find a charging station?” Now we all know that pumping gas is not glamorous. Most people don’t love that smell of gasoline that lingers on the hands after pumping, but it is a comfortable, known experience that counteracts the fear that a charging station might not be available.
The Benefits of Nostalgia
Nealon reminds us that as humans we like to be in control – a state that is predictable, stable, and settled. “When this stability is taken away, there is a tendency to yearn for a time when things were experienced in a calm, predictable way – a psychological process and longing for the past,” she says. Nealon maintains that it brings a real benefit to our mental health. “When we start reflecting on our past or reminiscing about the past and our positive experiences with people, it makes us feel that we belong, that we are connected. When we feel this, we can be more empathetic towards others and kinder to ourselves.” Nostalgia can bring about stress reduction, strengthen self-esteem, improve mood, and give a sense of meaning to life. Nealon says that the process of remembering can be grounding in many ways – reminding you that you have been fortunate in life.
beautiful moments can provide pleasant memories and boost you in the moment. Writing this article makes me remember when my grandfather died. He had been sick for many years, and although we were sad to see him go, we were happy that he was no longer suffering. The wake was more like a family reunion because my cousins and I shared memories of fishing with my grandfather, spending summer days asking him a million questions as he tinkered with some item that needed fixing, and leaning over his shoulder while the adults played Rook. Remembering him made us feel closer with family and more in control of an uncontrollable situation – in this case, death. Nealon explains that, “Even when we feel sad, we can smile through the tears if we can remember a life well lived – the good parts of a relationship that inspires us.”
Nealon looks forward to when she is older and pulling out her iPhone to see photos of family vacations, opening the fridge and smelling the leftovers of a dish that her mom used to make, or having an idle conversation that brings to mind a joyous time. These retrieval clues come from out of the blue but bring hope for the future. If the present is making you a bit sad, tap into nostalgia—dial up a friend, browse through old photos, reminisce with a family member, improve your mood, and bask in the memories of the past.
