It’s official – nostalgia is good for you. Dig out that photo album or call an old friend and reminisce. Research shows that, apart from the odd bittersweet twinge, the overall effect of waxing nostalgic is very positive.

The reason? Well, nobody gets nostalgic for bad times or unhappy events. Even if we know that they were not so fantastic in reality, when we reminisce we don our rose-tinted specs and disregard anything negative. This selective memory serves as a kind of self-protecting mechanism, according to Dr Erica Hepper, psychology research fellow at the University of Southampton, England.

Positive focus
“It may be that, on some level, people are aware the reality was not perfect if they really think about it. However, it’s natural and healthy to focus on the positives in life, to protect ourselves from negativity and threat. So the rose-tinted glasses may enable us to derive psychological benefits from nostalgia that grim realism would not allow.”

There is no shortage of benefits associated with nostalgia. It has been found to make us feel happier, calm us when in distress and even boost our self-esteem. This is because nostalgic memories often involve important events or times in which we played a big part, along with other people close to us.

“In this way, nostalgia reminds us we are significant individuals with positive qualities and close social bonds,” says Hepper. “It affirms aspects of the self that we value highly, in turn boosting self-esteem and protecting our sense of self-regard from external threats.”

Back to the future
It’s not all just about the past either. Reminiscing is believed to help inspire our creativity and boost our optimism about the future.

“Nostalgia provides a link between past, present and future,” says Hepper. “It helps us feel that our past and present selves are coherent. So indirectly, thinking about the past can spur us on to look ahead to the future.”

Altogether now
Another area of interest for nostalgia researchers is the effects of shared/social nostalgia (for example, reminiscing with others who shared the same experience). The expectation is that this kind of nostalgia will be shown to increase intimacy and togetherness among people, with the shared memories acting as a bond and reminding people they belong to a bigger social context.

“It’s also possible that people who are prone to ruminating about the negative aspects of the past might not enjoy solitary nostalgia but might be able to derive psychological well-being from shared nostalgia,” adds Hepper.

It seems that most of us instinctively turn to nostalgia when we are feeling vulnerable, lonely or lack a sense of meaning in life. The older we get, the more significant these issues become.

“These needs are challenged by experiences like bereavement, reduced mobility and loneliness. Nostalgia is a way to symbolically connect with other people and meaningful experiences, and, therefore, may be particularly important in older age as a resource to boost personal and social well-being.”