Nostalgia is everywhere. It's an emotion that drives people into a state of intense longing. We begin to crave a time that we perceive to be better than the present. Through its so-called rose-tinted goggles, this emotion influences the way we remember a specific place in time.
Is this always a good thing? What happens if/when we get lost in this imagination?
If we look back on previous times within our lives, some of us will inevitably think of childhood memories coated with innocence or carefree adventurousness. As warm as this may make you feel in a specific moment, are we really retrieving an accurate portrayal of that memory or one influenced by external expectations and biases of what a childhood should be like? Through the media's strict depiction of what childhood should look like and our constant consumption of this ideology, are we at all influenced by this vivid imagery? I personally think so. For me at least, when I feel nostalgic, nothing negative about that specific place in time comes up, other than the fact that it is no longer a reality. It is complete euphoria. In this way, I do not necessarily think that this is something that assists our individual growth, as we grow not only from positive feedback but from negative as well.
Sometimes, we are perceiving it in its truthful entirety, possibly assisted by a photograph or some other form of documentation, but we also, in attending to this sense of nostalgia, we often ignore times that were not as great as these memories. While this emotion can remind us of our successes or positive memories, acting as a possible representation of a larger meaning over the course of our lives, something approaching a purpose in life, can it sugar coat our failures? From these negative experiences, we gain strength or wisdom.
Or is there even a problem with this? Some may stand on the side saying who cares or as long as it makes people happy, what should it matter? I am not trying to disprove or prove its merit, as I am find reasoning as to the implications and effects of it on our everyday lives, beyond making us happier.
Take Donald Trump's presidential campaign catchphrase for example: Make American Great Again. Imagine if it just said: Make America Great. While this version still implies the same frustrations with the current system as the first, without the word again, he is not eliciting this sense of nostalgia. The word again commands the consumer to reflect, as it suggests another time; pairing it with the word great creates a correlation between the two and leads the specified audience to think positively about whatever this time is for them personally. That one word holds vastly different meanings to people across the nation, whether it be conservative citizens and their social beliefs, or people who have been negatively affected by the economy and a time of economic health within their communities. Trump is calling back to a time that these people romanticize. Trump pandered to one of the strongest influencers of human emotion -- nostalgia; that is what makes that slogan so effective, and that is part of the reason that he won.
Traditionalists could latch onto this campaign, as it spoke directly to them, no matter what other nonsensical plans or hate speech Trump uttered. They are seeking a return to that time that they believe was better. The effects of this can be seen when voter turnout in favor of Trump, among older demographics, is higher than those of the millennial era. We were not alive during this so-called "great" America that Trump is catering to -- the slogan is not for us. This slogan helped spread his primary goals.
In our society, youth is so intensely sought after, whether it be physically or mentally, it symbolizes radiance. It symbolizes energy and health, the peak of so many people's lives, so regardless of how their lives actually were, calling back to this concept is Trump's way of getting people to vote for him, as he promises to give them this feeling again.
In research conducted by Wildschut, et al (2006), nostalgia was revealed to strengthen social relationships, as it allows for people to connect over an expanse of time, all within the present day (Sedikides, Wildschut, Arndt, & Routledge, 2008). What better way for someone trying to win the support of millions of people, the majority he cannot intimately reach than to allocate part of his campaign pathos to nostalgia? Indirectly, nostalgia may lead to anger or frustration, as the person afflicted begins to realize that they are no longer a part of this time, despite possibly wanting to. Not only does catering to this feeling remind people of this desired era, it juxtaposes said time with the present, and all that people are unhappy with, exemplifying this gap.
There is also the famous scene from "Mad Men," in which ad-man Don Draper proposes a campaign founded on nostalgia, how the product will take you back to a place you once knew. This bond we develop with time will transmit to our purchasing of the product, should they be correlated within this example. By this philosophy, we would want to buy the product, because we feel that it will bring us closer to the past.
Nostalgia sells. Whether it be in the shape of homages to certain eras, like "Stranger Things," or symbols of childhood, like carnivals, the mere reminder of the positive emotion one felt when experiencing the original, translates to an excitement for the new.
I think the conclusion I am nearing is that anything in excess is detrimental, including nostalgia. Balance is key. Should one spend so much time reminiscing in the past, they will not be absorbing what surrounds them during the present. However, the positive emotions that nostalgia elicits: meaning, comfort, community, etc. are too valuable to denounce it. With nostalgia, time becomes a physical entity. It becomes something we may hold and cradle and stare into the eyes of, in its seemingly pure nature. If we are constantly attending to this delicate creature within our memory, we fail to nurture or spend time with the now.
Work Cited
Sedikides, C., Wildschut, T., Arndt, J., & Routledge, C. (2008). Nostalgia: Past, Present, and Future. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 17(5), 304-307. doi:10.1111/j.1467-8721.2008.00595.x
