The Science of Nostalgia: How Memory Shapes Our Emotional Well-Being

EasyChair Preprint 14585

Abstract

One of the most intricate emotions or feeling that significantly define the human feelings and emotions is the feeling known as nostalgia. The phenomenon which was initially seen as a medical condition in the 17th century has now become a complex concept that defines the modern psychological and social processes. To be specific, it is necessary to pay attention to the fact that there are two aspects of nostalgia, which can cause either positive or negative sentiment. On the one hand, nostalgia increases mood, strengthens social relations, gives an individual a sense of identity and can be used as rather effective tool of emotion regulation. On the one hand, it may lead to feelings of happiness, love, and desire; on the other, it may lead to feelings of loneliness, nostalgia and guilt, especially when it occurs in people with insecure attachment patterns. In trying to understand how nostalgia causes changes in the human psychological well-being, this study also seeks to explore the psychological aspects associated with nostalgia; the workings of the amygdala, hippocampus and the impact of neurotransmitters. These results will provide valuable information to be incorporated into treatment and prevention efforts and therapeutic and public health approaches, as well as to enhance people compassion and understanding of the human emotional experience.

Keyphrases: MEMORY SHAPES, SCIENCE OF NOSTALGIA, emotional well-being

@booklet{EasyChair:14585,
  author    = {Halleluyah Bukola and Becky Bucky},
  title     = {The Science of Nostalgia: How Memory Shapes Our Emotional Well-Being},
  howpublished = {EasyChair Preprint 14585},
  year      = {EasyChair, 2024}}