12/22/2023

Embrace Nostalgia This Holiday Season

It might help boost your mental health

For many, the holidays bring back memories of simpler times, along with the carefree feelings of being younger, with fewer of the worries and stress that accompany responsibilities. The music, the food, the gatherings with family and friends can all trigger feelings of nostalgia, helping us think about our past and the special moments we’ve experienced.

But even more than serving as a comfort, research shows nostalgia can benefit our mental health by affirming social belonging, alleviating loneliness and enhancing our sense of meaning. When we revisit happy memories, our brains release feel-good chemicals like dopamine, giving us a natural high. This boost in mood can help reduce stress and anxiety, making us feel more content and satisfied with our lives.

With nearly one in four adults around the world reporting that they are feeling very or fairly lonely, according to an October 2023 Meta-Gallup survey, the need for interventions to combat loneliness are at an all-time high—and nostalgia may be one avenue for relief, said Andrew Abeyta, Ph.D., a Rutgers University psychology professor who studies the effects of nostalgia on loneliness. In a 2023 study led by Abeyta and published in Emotion, researchers found that encouraging a trip down memory lane among individuals who have self-identified as feeling lonely helped them restore greater meaning in their lives.

Please select this link to read the complete article from The American Psychological Association.