In reference to the excerpts quoted from
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Originally Posted by Mari
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Quote:
"Nostalgia confers psychological benefits.
When engaging in nostalgic reflection, people report a stronger sense of belongingness, affiliation, or sociality; they convey higher continuity between their past and their present; they describe their lives as more meaningful; and they often indicate higher levels of self-esteem and positive mood"
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Certainly, I can attest to the concept that my feelings of nostalgia do provide a sense of "belongingness, affiliation, [and] sociality". It is one that I lack in the present, so perhaps clinging to the past is the only way I can get this sense.
However, I do often find that when I am sad, thinking about unreachable and happy aspects of my past does not improve my mood. To the contrary, I have to steer clear of indulging in memories at those times because I find that nostalgia will aggravate depression and even ordinary sadness. That is the part I don't follow, in terms of "psychological benefit."
Quote:
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". . . it is in general a resource on which people can capitalize to harness strength—a resource that allows them to cope more effectively with the vicissitudes of life".
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I wonder if the depth of my nostalgia - even if it feels bad sometimes - might be a psychological
response to the, ehh, "vicissitudes" I have encountered.
(There was no an attempt at sarcasm, lest it read that way. I am trying to wrap my brain around this.
Or even my gut, since nostalgia is pretty visceral stuff.)