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In the late 17th century,
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a medical student named Johannes Hofer
noticed a strange illness
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affecting Swiss mercenaries
serving abroad.
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Its symptoms,
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including fatigue,
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insomnia,
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irregular heartbeat,
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indigestion,
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and fever were so strong,
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the soldiers often had to be discharged.
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As Hofer discovered, the cause was not
some physical disturbance,
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but an intense yearning for their
mountain homeland.
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He dubbed the condition nostalgia,
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from the Greek "nostos" for homecoming
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and "algos" for pain or longing.
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At first, nostalgia was considered
a particularly Swiss affliction.
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Some doctors proposed that
the constant sound of cowbells in the Alps
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caused trauma to the ear drums and brain.
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Commanders even forbade their soldiers
from singing traditional Swiss songs
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for fear that they'd lead to desertion
or suicide.
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But as migration increased worldwide,
nostalgia was observed in various groups.
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It turned out that anyone separated
from their native place for a long time
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was vulnerable to nostalgia.
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And by the early 20th century,
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professionals no longer viewed it
as a neurological disease,
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but as a mental condition
similar to depression.
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Psychologists of the time speculated
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that it represented difficulties
letting go of childhood,
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or even a longing to return to one's
fetal state.
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But over the next few decades,
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the understanding of nostalgia changed
in two important ways.
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It's meaning expanded from indicating
homesickness
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to a general longing for the past.
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And rather than an awful disease,
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it began to be seen as a poignant
and pleasant experience.
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Perhaps the most famous example of this
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was captured by French author
Marcel Proust.
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He described how tasting a madeleine cake
he had not eaten since childhood
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triggered a cascade of warm
and powerful sensory associations.
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So what caused such a major
reversal in our view of nostalgia?
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Part of it has to do with science.
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Psychology shifted away from pure theory
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and towards more careful and systematic
empirical observation.
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So professionals realized that many
of the negative symptoms
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may have been simply corrolated
with nostalgia
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rather than caused by it.
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And in fact, despite being a complex
emotional state
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that can include feelings of loss
and sadness,
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nostalgia doesn't generally put people
in a negative mood.
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Instead, by allowing individuals
to remember personally meaningful
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and rewarding experiences
they shared with others,
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nostalgia can boost
psychological well-being.
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Studies have shown
that inducing nostalgia in people
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can help increase their feelings
of self esteem and social belonging,
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encourage psychological growth,
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and even make them act
more charitably.
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So rather than being a cause
of mental distress,
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nostalgia can be a restorative way
of coping with it.
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For instance, when people experience
negative emotional states,
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they tend to naturally use nostalgia
to reduce distress
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and restore well-being.
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Today, it seems that nostalgia
is everywhere,
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partially because advertisers
have discovered how powerful it is
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as a marketing technique.
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It's tempting to think of this as a sign
of us being stuck in the past,
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but that's not really how nostalgia works.
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Instead, nostalgia helps us remember
that our lives can have meaning and value,
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helping us find the confidence
and motivation
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to face the challenges of the future.