Waves,
I am coming back to this later. . . . on my way to bed.
I do agree that they seem to be working with a different definition of nostalgia.
Here they point out that it is usually negative and used to be considered a disorder. But then they move to show it as positive.
See the bottom of page 975 and top of page 976 of the research. They use the New Oxford Dictionary of English (1998) to show nostalgia as " a sentimental longing for the past."
They mention the different understandings of nostalgia with Davis (1979) defining nostalgia as a "positively toned evocation of a lived past."
http://www.wildschut.me/Tim_Wildschu...gia%20JPSP.pdf
In this article linked to by the NYT, nostalgia is defined thus:
http://psycnet.apa.org/index.cfm?fa=...2012-15305-001
Quote:
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Nostalgia, a sentimental longing or wistful affection for the past, is a predominantly positive and social emotion. Recent evidence suggests that nostalgia maintains psychological comfort. Here, we propose, and document in five methodologically diverse studies, a broader homeostatic function for nostalgia that also encompasses the maintenance of physiological comfort.
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And people are likely to be triggered by cold:
Quote:
We show that nostalgia—an emotion with a strong connotation of warmth—is triggered by coldness. Participants reported stronger nostalgia on colder (vs. warmer) days and in a cold (vs. neutral or warm) room. Nostalgia, in turn, modulates the interoceptive feeling of temperature.
Higher levels of music-evoked nostalgia predicted increased physical warmth, and participants who recalled a nostalgic (vs. ordinary autobiographical) event perceived ambient temperature as higher.
Finally, and consistent with the close central nervous system integration of temperature and pain sensations, participants who recalled a nostalgic (vs. ordinary autobiographical) event evinced greater tolerance to noxious cold.
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The part about cold is interesting and makes sense to me.
M