Very Merry Melancholy

The Star Ledger 12/25/08

Today I read a very interesting article in the newspaper. I have taken the liberty of editing it, as well as paraphrasing it to suit my selfish needs.

Long derided as wimpy and a waste of time, nostalgia nonetheless often sweeps in at this time of year, settling in for the holidays. In calling up memories of people and celebrations past, it can evoke feelings buried by time and daily life.

Now psychologists are rethinking the purpose of that particular sentiment and are drawing some surprising conclusions. Depending on how it's embraced, they say, nostalgia can be a healthy emotion that buffers people from loneliness and eases them through hard times.

In a recent study published in the journal Psychological Science, researchers in China who have studied nostalgia worldwide concluded, "a person immersed in nostalgia can feel connected even when he or she is alone."

The study published in October, is the latest about-face that research psychologists have done on nostalgia in recent years. The sentiment has long been associated with an unhealthy emotional state. The term (nostalgia) is derived from the Greek word for "return" and "suffering", and has been defined as "the yearning to return to one's place of origin".

"Nostalgia has had a very bad name among psychologists and psychiatrists", says Krystine batcho, a professor of psychology at Le Moyne College in Syracuse N.Y. "The feeling was that, if you were nostalgic, you were trapped in the past".

- Shari Roan Los Angeles Times

Apparently you can go home again, if only in your head. 

See, I'm not completely insane! It's a place I visit quite frequently