How nostalgic, happy thoughts make you healthier

“Nostalgia has been shown to counteract loneliness, boredom and anxiety,” John Tierney wrote in a recent New York Times article. “It makes people more generous to strangers and tolerant of outsiders. Couples feel closer and look happier when they’re sharing nostalgic memories.” It may even make you literally warmer: feelings of nostalgia are more common on cold days, and people in cool rooms are more likely to reminisce than those in warmer ones, research shows. Why? It might be evolutionary: “If you can recruit a memory to maintain physiological comfort, it could contribute to survival by making you look for food and shelter that much longer,” researcher, Dr Tim Wildschut, told the Times. Here’s how to leverage your happy thoughts and warm memories to make yourself healthier.

Some 79 per cent of people naturally experience nostalgia at least once a week, research indicates, but you don’t have to wait for a chance memory to pop into your mind. Loyola University researchers discovered that thinking of good memories for just 20 minutes a day can make people more cheerful than they felt the week before, reported Psychology Today.  

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To reap the full benefits of nostalgia, it seems better to replay happy thoughts in your mind rather than in a journal. When researchers at the University of California at Riverside asked people to either think about or write down a blissful life experience, those who simply thought about it experienced a greater boost in wellbeing, according to Psychology Today. “There’s a magic and mystery in positive events,” study author and psychologist, Dr Sonja Lyubomirsky, told the magazine. Analysing the details – by writing them down – may remove some of that wonder.

Listening to music is a quick, easy way to induce nostalgia; researchers often use it in their studies, according to the Times. Think about the songs on the radio when you were growing up, for example. Scents, too, are powerful tools to unlock memories. Smells get to our brain faster than sights or sounds – particularly, to our emotional centres – according to neurologist, Dr Alan Hirsch.

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Of course, not all old memories are positive ones; and looking back to happier times may make you feel anxious about where you are today. Recalling your academic successes in high school and university, for example, may make you feel like a has-been in your current job. It’s challenging, but experts recommend trying to focus on the memories alone, without comparing them to other events.

Reminiscing with friends and family strengthens close relationships, says Psychology Today. Look at old photos and videos during holiday get-togethers; reconnect with former school friends on social networks and revisit your shared memories.

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Nostalgia researcher, Dr Constantine Sedikides, calls this strategy “anticipatory nostalgia” – living your life cultivating experiences you’ll want to savour down the road. This ties into research that spending money on experiences, rather than things, tends to make people happier. So splurging on the hot-air balloon ride will go farther than the take-home souvenir.

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Source: RD.com