Why do we feel nostalgia? - Clay Routledge
-
0:06 - 0:08In the late 17th century,
-
0:08 - 0:12a medical student named Johannes Hofer
noticed a strange illness -
0:12 - 0:16affecting Swiss mercenaries
serving abroad. -
0:16 - 0:17Its symptoms,
-
0:17 - 0:18including fatigue,
-
0:18 - 0:19insomnia,
-
0:19 - 0:20irregular heartbeat,
-
0:20 - 0:21indigestion,
-
0:21 - 0:23and fever were so strong,
-
0:23 - 0:27the soldiers often had to be discharged.
-
0:27 - 0:30As Hofer discovered, the cause was not
some physical disturbance, -
0:30 - 0:34but an intense yearning for their
mountain homeland. -
0:34 - 0:36He dubbed the condition nostalgia,
-
0:36 - 0:39from the Greek "nostos" for homecoming
-
0:39 - 0:42and "algos" for pain or longing.
-
0:42 - 0:47At first, nostalgia was considered
a particularly Swiss affliction. -
0:47 - 0:51Some doctors proposed that
the constant sound of cowbells in the Alps -
0:51 - 0:55caused trauma to the ear drums and brain.
-
0:55 - 1:00Commanders even forbade their soldiers
from singing traditional Swiss songs -
1:00 - 1:04for fear that they'd lead to desertion
or suicide. -
1:04 - 1:10But as migration increased worldwide,
nostalgia was observed in various groups. -
1:10 - 1:14It turned out that anyone separated
from their native place for a long time -
1:14 - 1:17was vulnerable to nostalgia.
-
1:17 - 1:19And by the early 20th century,
-
1:19 - 1:22professionals no longer viewed it
as a neurological disease, -
1:22 - 1:26but as a mental condition
similar to depression. -
1:26 - 1:28Psychologists of the time speculated
-
1:28 - 1:31that it represented difficulties
letting go of childhood, -
1:31 - 1:35or even a longing to return to one's
fetal state. -
1:35 - 1:37But over the next few decades,
-
1:37 - 1:41the understanding of nostalgia changed
in two important ways. -
1:41 - 1:44Its meaning expanded from indicating
homesickness -
1:44 - 1:47to a general longing for the past.
-
1:47 - 1:49And rather than an awful disease,
-
1:49 - 1:54it began to be seen as a poignant
and pleasant experience. -
1:54 - 1:56Perhaps the most famous example of this
-
1:56 - 1:59was captured by French author
Marcel Proust. -
1:59 - 2:03He described how tasting a madeleine cake
he had not eaten since childhood -
2:03 - 2:09triggered a cascade of warm
and powerful sensory associations. -
2:09 - 2:14So what caused such a major
reversal in our view of nostalgia? -
2:14 - 2:16Part of it has to do with science.
-
2:16 - 2:20Psychology shifted away from pure theory
-
2:20 - 2:25and towards more careful and systematic
empirical observation. -
2:25 - 2:28So professionals realized that many
of the negative symptoms -
2:28 - 2:31may have been simply correlated
with nostalgia -
2:31 - 2:33rather than caused by it.
-
2:33 - 2:37And, in fact, despite being a complex
emotional state -
2:37 - 2:40that can include feelings of loss
and sadness, -
2:40 - 2:44nostalgia doesn't generally put people
in a negative mood. -
2:44 - 2:48Instead, by allowing individuals
to remember personally meaningful -
2:48 - 2:52and rewarding experiences
they shared with others, -
2:52 - 2:55nostalgia can boost
psychological well-being. -
2:55 - 2:58Studies have shown
that inducing nostalgia in people -
2:58 - 3:03can help increase their feelings
of self-esteem and social belonging, -
3:03 - 3:05encourage psychological growth,
-
3:05 - 3:08and even make them act
more charitably. -
3:08 - 3:11So rather than being a cause
of mental distress, -
3:11 - 3:16nostalgia can be a restorative way
of coping with it. -
3:16 - 3:19For instance, when people experience
negative emotional states, -
3:19 - 3:23they tend to naturally use nostalgia
to reduce distress -
3:23 - 3:26and restore well-being.
-
3:26 - 3:29Today, it seems that nostalgia
is everywhere, -
3:29 - 3:33partially because advertisers
have discovered how powerful it is -
3:33 - 3:35as a marketing technique.
-
3:35 - 3:39It's tempting to think of this as a sign
of us being stuck in the past, -
3:39 - 3:42but that's not really how nostalgia works.
-
3:42 - 3:47Instead, nostalgia helps us remember
that our lives can have meaning and value, -
3:47 - 3:51helping us find the confidence
and motivation -
3:51 - 3:53to face the challenges of the future.
- Title:
- Why do we feel nostalgia? - Clay Routledge
- Speaker:
- Clay Routledge
- Description:
-
View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/why-do-we-feel-nostalgia-clay-routledge
Nostalgia was once considered an illness confined to specific groups of people. Today, people all over the world report experiencing and enjoying nostalgia. But how does nostalgia work? And is it healthy? Clay Routledge details the way our understanding of nostalgia has changed since the term was first coined in the late 17th century.
Lesson by Clay Routledge, animation by Anton Bogaty.
- Video Language:
- English
- Team:
- closed TED
- Project:
- TED-Ed
- Duration:
- 04:09
Jessica Ruby approved English subtitles for Why do we feel nostalgia? | ||
Jessica Ruby accepted English subtitles for Why do we feel nostalgia? | ||
Jessica Ruby edited English subtitles for Why do we feel nostalgia? | ||
Jennifer Cody edited English subtitles for Why do we feel nostalgia? |