Is nostalgia good or bad for us?
Have you ever noticed how revisiting films from your childhood, listening to old tunes, or flipping through cherished books can bring on a certain sense of solace?
The reality is your past is intricately woven into your present. It shapes who you are and influences the person you go on to become. With its comforting embrace of fond memories, nostalgia seems to breathe new life into past moments, often giving us a boost when we really need it.
What actually happens in our brains when we get nostalgic then?
Well, back in 2015, researchers from Tokyo Metropolitan University decided to peek into this phenomenon using functional MRI scans. Their findings revealed that viewing images associated with the past triggers activity in our memory and reward circuits, possibly linked to the release of pleasure hormone dopamine.
And surprisingly, nostalgia can even act as a natural painkiller. That's according to a study conducted by psychologists and neuroscientists at the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing, the findings of which were published in the Journal of Neuroscience in 2022. The study found that reminiscing about the past may help alleviate certain everyday forms of pain, like a headache.
Is nostalgia always good for us then?
Medicalnewstoday.com says that nostalgia can also bring on negative emotions at times. While nostalgic depression is not an officially recognized mental health condition, the term is used to describe the elements of sadness people feel when missing parts of their past.
For example, we might perceive our past as having been happier than our present is. What's intriguing is that while nostalgic memories are soothing, they tend to be rose-tinted and thus aren't always accurate representations of the past.
Christine Bacho is a psychology professor at Le Moyne College in the United States. Talking to National Geographic for a feature on nostalgia in July 2023, she explained that having memories that are better than the actual events serves an evolutionary purpose. Dwelling excessively on the past can actually turn the experience sour and hinder our ability to live in the present.
I'm sure at some point you've heard someone being told to stop living in the past, or maybe someone's even said that to you. That suggestion really means focusing more on creating new memories rather than clinging so tightly to past ones.
The negative effects of nostalgic depression can include self-deprecation, intense anxiety, a disdain for life, changes in appetite or weight, social withdrawal, sleep disturbances, a loss of motivation and dark thoughts.
Medical News Today recommends trying to remember a more realistic view of the past to keep things in perspective, practicing mindfulness and building human relationships in order to combat nostalgic depression. There you have it.
词汇表
revisit [ˌriːˈvɪzɪt] 重访，重游，重温
old tunes [tjuːnz] 老歌，旧曲
flip through [flɪp] 快速翻阅，浏览
cherished [ˈtʃerɪʃt] adj. 珍爱的，珍藏的
solace [ˈsɒləs] n. 慰藉，安慰，抚慰
be intricately woven into [ˈɪntrɪkətli ˈwəʊvn] 与…紧密相连，与…紧密交织
fond memory 美好回忆
nostalgia [nɒˈstældʒə] n. 怀旧，念旧；思乡
give someone a boost [ə buːst] 给某人助力，提振某人的精神
get nostalgic [nɒˈstældʒɪk] 陷入怀旧情绪，开始怀念过去
Tokyo Metropolitan University [ˈtəʊkɪəʊ ˌmetrəˈpɒlɪtən] 东京都立大学
functional MRI scans 功能性核磁共振成像扫描（常用于研究大脑的活动模式）
reward circuit [ˈsɜːkɪt] （大脑）奖赏回路
pleasure hormone dopamine [ˈhɔːməʊn ˈdəʊpəmiːn] 愉悦激素多巴胺
painkiller [ˈpeɪnkɪlə(r)] n. 止痛药
neuroscientist [ˌnjʊərəʊˈsaɪəntɪst] n. 神经科学家
reminisce about [ˌremɪˈnɪs] 回忆，追忆，缅怀
alleviate [əˈliːvieɪt] vt. 减轻，缓解
nostalgic depression [nɒˈstældʒɪk dɪˈpreʃn] 怀旧型抑郁（因怀念过去时光引发的消极情绪）
intriguing [ɪnˈtriːɡɪŋ] adj. 非常有趣的，引人入胜的
soothing [ˈsuːðɪŋ] adj. 安慰的，慰藉的，使人平静的
rose-tinted [rəʊz ˈtɪntɪd] adj. 带有玫瑰色滤镜的，过于乐观的
National Geographic [dʒiˈæɡrəfɪk] 《国家地理》（杂志名）
dwell on the past [dwel] 沉溺于过去，纠结于过去
sour [ˈsaʊə(r)] vt. 使变得不愉快，使变味
hinder [ˈhɪndə(r)] vt. 阻碍，妨碍
cling tightly to [klɪŋ] 紧紧抓住，执着于
self-deprecation [ˌself ˌdeprəˈkeɪʃn] n. 自我贬低，自嘲
a disdain for life [dɪsˈdeɪn] 厌世，厌弃生命
social withdrawal [wɪðˈdrɔːəl] 社交退缩，社交回避
sleep disturbances [dɪˈstɜːbənsɪz] 睡眠障碍
keep things in perspective 正确看待事物，保持客观
mindfulness [ˈmaɪndflnəs] n. 正念，专注
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