Why Does Nostalgia Feel So Nice?

The holidays have a way of bringing up fond memories that can warm your heart. But are there any actual health benefits to nostalgia? It's more than just a longing for the past, and as Anthony and Laci explain, these sentiments can be quite good for us.

Read More:
Is Nostalgia Healthy?
"The word nostalgia is derived from two Greek words: nostos, meaning 'homecoming', and algos, meaning 'pain.'"

Nostalgia May Make You Warm
"Indulging in nostalgia could be an effective way to combat coldtemperatures, according to new research that shows the fuzzy, heart-warming feeling has real body-warming effects."

Nostalgia: Content, Triggers, Functions
"The term nostalgia was actually introduced by the Swiss physician Johannes Hofer to refer to the adverse psychological and physiological symptoms displayed by Swiss mercenaries who plied their trade on foreign shores."
Counteracting loneliness: on the restorative function of nostalgia.
"Four studies tested whether nostalgia can counteract reductions in perceived social support caused by loneliness. Loneliness reduced perceptions of social support but increased nostalgia."

What Nostalgia Is and What It Does
"Hepper, Ritchie, Sedikides, and Wildschut (2012, Emotion) describe nostalgia as a complex emotion that involves past-oriented cognition and a mixed affective signature."

What Is Nostalgia Good For? Quite a Bit, Research Shows
"Nostalgia has been shown to counteract loneliness, boredom and anxiety. It makes people more generous to strangers and more tolerant of outsiders. Couples feel closer and look happier when they're sharing nostalgic memories. On cold days, or in cold rooms, people use nostalgia to literally feel warmer."

Watch More:
Holiday Road Rage
TestTube Wild Card
Holiday Excess & Exercise

____________________

DNews is dedicated to satisfying your curiosity and to bringing you mind-bending stories & perspectives you won't find anywhere else! New videos twice daily.

[jugobugo]

I kinda disagree with the video. Nostalgia always makes me depressed.
I want my money back.

[alkers]

I feel nostalgic when I play old games I use to play when I was little.

[bdbgh]

Nostalgia only feels good if you only remember the good stuff.

[dacasman]

what? Nostalgia feels like depressing and shitty to me : /

[angelonexv]

Nostaligia makes me sad, It makes me feel empty
i wish I could go back in time..

[HelloMsAnny]

I usually get nostalgic from music, or finding old things like letters or postcards, or photos for that matter (you know..the paper ones! :P) But nostalgia doesn't really make me feel good, just lonely and makes me miss things I used to have O.o

[ShawnRavenfire]

I wish I could go forward in time, so that I could be looking back on now, and now will seem a lot better than it really is.

[RagingKarma]

I get nostalgia whenever I go back to my PS2 and then I can't stop smiling for the entire week.

[oafkad]

If you want to have fun while watching videos with multiple speakers, stare at the person who isn't talking.

Watch as they try to figure out what expression to make.

It never gets old.

[misseli]

I always thought of nostalgia as something bittersweet

[sethwilliams]

I feel nostalgia when I replay games I used to play as a child.

[TemperanceRaziel]

My life has gotten better with each passing year, so looking back simply robs from how wonderful things are now.

[NoahTopper]

If I hear music that I heard a lot when I was little, I feel really nostalgic. 

[DustinMillerPolyInnovator]

I get nostalgic whenever I remember my school years and how they flew by, and anything pokemon related, When I was a kid I was obssessed with the series. Sometimes zelda does too. 

[tiffanyrosem]

Not for me tho😕 I feel depressed and nostalgic 😢

[LiteraryStoner]

The original game boy, Sega, Sonic, Mario, Zelda, Super Nintendo, Pokemon, the great shows of the 90s that stuff gives me nostalgia. Also the song "You are my sunshine" my mom used to sing that to me when I was little :)

[tyleradamsify]

I hated my childhood, my past is SHIT. I only feel good about the future.

[DakotaM]

Merry christmas, Anthony, Laci, and Trace!

[FelicitasSews]

I always feel nostalgia over books I've read a long time ago. When I spot them in the library or a bookstore, they just bring a smile to my face :)

[dutchierides]

when i have a shitty period in my life, and then you start hoping 24/7 that you will find a time machine to bring you back to when you were 5 years old