I am bewildered by the NYT article. I was left to think the researchers speak a different version of English than any I have been exposed to. I grew up with both American and British English, which makes for a rather broad base. However since the two variants can occasionally be at odds, I looked up nostalgia in both American and British English dictionaries.

Both Merriam-Webster's (American) and the Oxford (British) definitions include "yearning" in the definition of affection. The Oxford alternatively allows for "wistful affection" - where wistful involves yearning or regret.

American English definition, per Merriam-Webster's online:
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/nostalgia

British/World English definition, per the Oxford Dictionaries Online:
http://oxforddictionaries.com/defini...lish/nostalgia

Basking in pleasant memories or hearing something that evokes good memories is not the same as nostalgia. Nostalgia involves a feeling of yearning (or, in British English, regret).

It is true that the good can outweigh the bad. The sense of regret or yearning may be small compared to the pleasantness of the memories. In this case, I can see that there might be psychological benefit. However, the good-bad balance is not part of the definition.

As I see it then, nostalgia is going to have a different effect on a person, depending on the degree of yearning/regret present as well as other factors, such as whether or not one is happy in the present.

Nostalgia can feel painful when the yearning component is very strong. It can even be overwhelming. In these cases, I truly fail to see how it can confer psychological benefit.

Maybe I am just not getting it.

waves