Nostalgia is the warm rush of sentimentality we feel while revisiting cherished memories from the past. It is an emotional phenomenon experienced by old and young altogether. No wonder Star Wars and Star Trek merchandise never lost their appeal. Just a couple of years ago, Coca-Cola’s share-a-coke commercial started making rounds, and its personalized bottles with popular names and phrases reinforced Coca-Cola’s iconic status in the digital era once again. Nostalgia takes on new dimensions as our lives become more and more intertwined with technology.

So, why do we feel drawn to the past and prefer the old times over the present? This yearning for the past aka Nostalgia can be triggered by various stimuli, including sights, sounds, smells, and even specific objects or places. It’s a complex emotional response that often provides:

• Positive Memories: Reminiscing about past experiences is always accompanied by a sense of warmth, comfort, or yearning.
• Escape from the present challenges: Don’t we all want a mental retreat to simpler, more familiar times and get rid of all the stress and dissatisfaction of our lives?
• Sense of identity and continuity: Nostalgia helps us maintain a sense of continuity and connectedness to our past selves, cultural heritage, and roots.
• Idealization of the Past: Human memory is often selective and tends to emphasize positive aspects while downplaying negative ones. We idealize the past as better or more idyllic than it actually was.
• Loss and Grief: Whether it’s the loss of loved ones or bygone times. Nostalgia serves as a way to hold onto and honor what has been lost.
• Cultural Influence: Media, literature, art, and popular culture often romanticize certain historical periods or evoke nostalgia for specific eras through fashion, music, and aesthetics.

Hence, it’s not entirely our fault that we find ourselves feeling nostalgic all the time. On top of that social media platforms serve as virtual time capsules, preserving and curating our memories for easy access. From Facebook’s “On This Day” feature to Instagram’s #ThrowbackThursday hashtag, these digital tools allow us to reminisce about past moments with just a few clicks.

Everyone has their own interpretation of nostalgia. I personally feel drawn to the early 1900s, the British era, World War II, and the Holocaust. My two all-time favorite nostalgic escape items are the novel “The Book Thief” and the movie “Midnight in Paris”. With the weekend around the corner, I suggest satisfying your hunger for nostalgia with the following movies:

• About time (2013)
• Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)
• The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (2008)
• La La Land” (2016)
• The Age of Adaline” (2015)

Nostalgia is just a beautiful feeling that we can’t help but experience. And it’s great to enjoy the good old days, but too much of anything can’t be good. Nostalgia provides us with comfort and a sense of connection to the past, but it’s essential to balance these feelings with an appreciation for the present moment and an openness to new experiences. Dwelling too much on nostalgia can harm our personal growth and prevent us from fully engaging with the opportunities and challenges of the present. Let’s try to strike a balance between our past and present and live fully.