Bittersweet Nostalgia: Does Reminiscing Help or Hurt Us?

Written By Cornell Undergraduate Research Magazine

Written by Luca Voli
Edited by Darren Shum

Nostalgia is a powerful human emotion, a state of mind that transports us back through time to the fond memories of our past. We may recall childhood friends, family gatherings, home cooking, or learning to ride a bike for the first time. These events all evoke overwhelmingly pleasant feelings until we remember that they are, indeed, just memories, things of the past. For this reason, we often refer to nostalgia as bittersweet. But this raises an important question: is nostalgia more bitter or more sweet, and how does this impact our mental health during and after a nostalgic episode? As it turns out, the context of the situation has a profound impact on determining which sensation plays the dominant role.

Photos from Forbes. Curated by Camille Parisot (cap364@cornell.edu).

Most research regarding this topic has concluded that nostalgia is an overall positive emotion, promoting joy and optimism, what psychologists call a “positive affect.” In one 2023 study, the treatment group was asked to describe their feelings surrounding a nostalgic memory, whereas the control group was simply asked to describe their feelings about a description of a scenic spot. As expected, the treatment group exhibited a higher positive affect than the control group; interestingly, however, they did not necessarily exhibit a lower negative affect (unpleasant emotions). To explain this discrepancy, the researchers theorized that decreases in negative affect might only be observed when the participant is already in a dreary mood [1]. This should make sense: how many times have we sat there in the library on a rainy day, daydreaming about the past instead of cracking down on schoolwork? In other words, our emotional state is an important factor in the intensity of the nostalgic experience; a person in a bad mood may display a more dramatic change in attitude and disposition than a person in a good mood following a moment of nostalgia.

Photo by Camille Parisot (cap364@cornell.edu).

However, there has also been evidence that these findings are misguided and that nostalgia may, in fact, have an overall negative impact on emotional well-being. For example, in a 2020 study comparing levels of nostalgia to levels of loneliness, the researchers found that nostalgic episodes exacerbated the feelings of sadness and depression associated with loneliness [2]. This is perhaps not all too surprising either; we have all experienced solitude in college to some degree, and sometimes reminiscing about home can only make us feel more alone. Furthermore, a 2021 study reported that everyday instances of nostalgia were associated with higher negative affect, whereas experimentally induced states of nostalgia were associated with higher positive affect. In other words, one is more likely to feel joyful after being asked to recall a nostalgic memory than when a random life experience causes them to recall one [3]. The reason for this remarkable finding may be that people preferentially think of positive memories when asked to recall something nostalgic; on the other hand, naturally occurring daily moments of nostalgia tend to have a more depressing effect. This strongly suggests that nostalgia in an everyday setting is more likely to be negative than positive.

So we return to our original question: is nostalgia more bitter or more sweet? Unfortunately, as with most real-world scenarios, the answer is context-dependent. If one is feeling down, a little nostalgia might lift them right back up, but it could just as easily make them feel even worse. Ultimately, it is a person’s natural disposition or the events of their day that lead them down one road or the other. However, there is also evidence that recreating nostalgic memories with new people and in new settings can almost always guarantee a positive outcome.

Photo from the ACLAB Affect and Cognition Lab. Curated by Camille Parisot (cap364@cornell.edu)

Hetvi Doshi of the Affect and Cognition Lab (ACLAB) at Cornell explores the interconnection between food-related nostalgia and mental health. Her research focuses on what she calls the “Ratatouille Moment,” or the nostalgia we experience when we eat food that reminds us of home. As the founder of the Community Nostalgia Initiative, she has hosted many food-themed events that foster positive shared nostalgic experiences for their audiences [4, 5]. Thus, by discussing our nostalgic memories with others and building new ones, we can improve the effects of nostalgia on our emotional well-being.

Luca Voli ‘27 is in the College of Arts and Sciences. He can be reached at gev29@cornell.edu.

Cornell Undergraduate Research Magazine
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