Feelings of nostalgia are common on cold days, most especially during the holidays and according to the article of John Tierney in New York Times, nostalgia makes people more generous to strangers and it makes couples feel happier when sharing nostalgic memories.
Krystine Batcho, Ph.D., professor of psychology at Le Moyne College in New York, explained that the reason why people become more nostalgic during the holidays is because they feel an increased sense of belongingness which is crucial to human beings.
Batcho added that certain traditions are the ones that connect us to our childhood and when we become parents, the continue these traditions that we pass on to our children so they can have their future nostalgia while we relive our own.
Researchers from the Loyola University found out that while nostalgia naturally happens to a person a least once a week, you don't necessarily have to wait to remember a good memory to pop in your mind. They said that when you spend just 20 minutes of good memories in a day can make you cheerful than you felt before.
Another research by Constantine Sedikides and Tim Wildschut at the Centre for Research on Self and Identity at the University of Southampton in England, nostalgia is not an escape from your current situation but is actually a source of strength that can help you when facing the future.
Batcho then agrees to these findings because she has also found the benefits of nostalgia when it comes to making a person feel calm and reducing stress and levels of anxiety. She also said that in the middle of feeling lonely and sad, it is the nostalgic memories that can help in establishing your sense of connectedness to people you have missed. It is also nostalgia, according to Batcho that encourages healthy behaviors because of how you recall the healthy habits and activities you used to do in your childhood.
