Nostalgia: How Reminiscing on the Past Can Benefit Your Future

Abstract

The history of nostalgia has shown that the sentimental yearning for the past has the potential to be diagnosed as a medical disease. Nostalgia has demonstrated psychological, emotional, social, and even physical benefits in recent years. Nostalgia narratives can affect a person being the "main character" in their life story. Although depressive or lonely thoughts generally trigger nostalgia, it positively affects self-esteem and improves social connectivity. This study aims to identify the different types of nostalgia and how they affect the body mentally and physically. The research method is based on scholarly and popular literature and a podcast. Topics covered in this source include the differences in types of nostalgia and how nostalgia can positively impact a person's physical and mental being. Journal articles, widespread news reports, and podcasts were reviewed and reported in the Results section of this study. This study aimed to ask: Are more nostalgic people happier than those who aren't? And What are the effects of Personal Nostalgia, and how do these effects differ from other types of nostalgia? Currently, nostalgia is being studied to see if it can be used as a form of therapy to help aid physical pain. This study aims to identify how different types of nostalgia can affect a person and further understand how nostalgia impacts one's mental and physical health. Personal nostalgia positively impacts a person's social connectivity and optimism more than historical nostalgia. Keywords: nostalgia, optimism, emotion, self-esteem, social connectedness