Nostalgia: The Bliss of the Past

Daydreaming on events and experiences that have occurred in the past is usually a blissful venture back in time that has more benefits to it than one may realize. The nostalgia that fills one’s being with strong emotions while going back in time in our memories can not only improve our self-esteem, but can have anti-depressant effects. Nostalgia is a yearning for return to or of some past period or seemingly-irrecoverable condition. It is the reliving of a past time, which is usually in a more positive light than the reality of that event may have been. The combination of nostalgia with daydreaming can provide not only the benefits mentioned above, but can also activate the parts of the brain associated with the solving of problems and issues that may exist, as studies have shown.

The benefits of being nostalgic every now and then are becoming documented and studied more and more. To illustrate this fascinating research into a mental activity that each one of us has done at one time or another,  a recent study has found that individuals that exhibit nostalgia have high self-esteem and are less prone to depression. Thinking of good memories for just 20 minutes a day can make people happier and more blissful than they were the prior week, and happier than if they think of their current lives, as reported in Psychology Today. Researchers at the University of Southampton in England have also found that the experiencing of nostalgia is a strong mood enhancer. Furthermore, the studies also show that people who write about good and positive memories report higher self-esteem and feel more positively about friendships and close relationships. In order to reap the full benefits of nostalgia, research suggests reminiscing in your mind rather than on paper.

When Sonja Lyubomirsky, a psychologist at the University of California at Riverside asked participants to either write or think about their happiest life experience, she found that those who replayed their happiest moments in their heads later experienced greater well-being than the writing group. The contrary was true for those who thought about unpleasant and negative memories. There seems to be something about the immaterial, nonphysical, and mental nostalgia that brings forth the greatest benefit. Perhaps it is because there are no interferences in mind processes, such as those that exist when one has to dedicate at least part of their awareness, concentration, and focus on using the writing instrument, writing in a certain manner, and all the other elements of writing something down.

The act of daydreaming and reminiscing on the past usually brings up positive emotions, as was mentioned earlier. This fact allows for the ability for an individual to decrease actual physical pain that he or she may be experiencing. A study conducted by the Université de Montréal has discovered the interesting connection with emotions and pain. It was found that focusing on the positive aspects of reality has the ability to decrease pain, whereas focusing on negative things would increase any pain being experienced. The psychological processes occurring within the mind during a nostalgic daydream seem to have a direct connection to the physiological state that a person experiences. Equipped with this knowledge, we can use nostalgia as a tool for not only removing mental pain, but physical pain as well. Focusing on the positive and enjoyable memories, be they real or fantastic, does a greater service to our being than we may have realized.

Experiencing Nostalgia Through Music

Although it is able to be experienced in a number of ways, an intensely strong and powerful medium for nostalgia is music. The harmonics and tones within music, whether they are combined with vocals or not, have the ability to take a person back to a time where things were positive, enchanting, blissful, and comforting. With the rise and advance of electronic equipment in the 21st century, it is now possible to create very sophisticated and complex harmonic tones and frequencies that in ages past were essentially impossible. With this new technological benefit, several individuals have dedicated their time and effort into producing music that brings about a nostalgic tendency for the listener. The harmonics bring the listener to a time in the past, whether they lived in it or not. Oftentimes, this nostalgia is very tranquil, serene, and peaceful. It is suggested that even simply listening to such music will provide the benefits that research has shown comes about during experiencing nostalgia. Although there is absolutely no limit or barrier to the particular type of musical harmonics that may invoke nostalgia, I would like to provide a list of some artists and musicians that invoke an intense feeling of nostalgia within my inner being.

• Black Moth Super Rainbow
• Boards of Canada
• Lone
• Orange Crush
• Our Valley
• Saturday Index
• Trills
• Tycho
• Washed Out
• 2%
• Milieu

Whatever method you may use to invoke an enchanting nostalgic experience, know that it will have the power to boost your self-esteem, reduce any pain you may experience, and even help in solving an issue or problem you may be having. Do not shy away from daydreaming or being nostalgic, since these are very helpful activities that are promotive of one’s self-growth and continuous shifting of consciousness to a higher level. So take a trip back in time and enjoy the serenity and bliss that will follow.