Nostalgia increases following psychological distress such as depression, but this feeling helps to relieve it afterwards.
- To determine the link between psychological distress, researchers brought together 3,167 students aged 17 to 25. Their level of psychological distress as well as that of nostalgia were measured 6 months apart.
- The results showed that the levels of distress and the levels of nostalgia were strongly associated: nostalgia is greater during episodes of depression but that this feeling was then associated with less depressive signs 6 months later.
- Nostalgia would thus act as a protective mechanism attenuating the harmful consequences of psychological and physical distress.
Nostalgia would not only be a moment when your past is tinged with melancholy and beautiful colors. This feeling would be an integral part of the mechanisms helping to overcome psychic (depression) and physical (somatization) distress, according to work presented in the scientific journal Journal of Personality in 2023.
Distress: nostalgia would help to overcome it
A longitudinal study, conducted in China, explored the relationship between nostalgia and depressive states in 3,167 students aged 17 to 25. The participants completed questionnaires measuring their level of distress and their level of nostalgia at two different times: the first time during the first semester of their university course, then six months later.
Analyzing the data, the researchers found that the higher the distress, the higher the nostalgia. However, six months later, the volunteers who had displayed significant nostalgia during the first measurement had lower levels of distress.
The results showed that “Feeling a higher level of distress at an earlier time is a prognosis for later nostalgia. But feeling homesick more frequently at an earlier time predicts lower levels of later distress”, explain the authors. They then continue: “Distress, both psychological and physical, induces nostalgia. Nostalgia, in turn, acts as a protective mechanism that mitigates the harmful consequences of distress.”
Nostalgia: a help to manage negative emotions?
For the researchers, the study helps to better understand the links between nostalgia, anxiety and mental well-being during times of psychological distress. Being nostalgic would not be useless: it would stem the negative feelings associated with mental health disorders such as depression and chronic anxiety. The scientists’ discovery could be used to help design psychological support programs that rely on nostalgia.
However, the team specifies that additional work is necessary to confirm that the observations made in young Chinese students are verified in other social groups and other populations (age, ethnicity, etc.).
