Recent studies in psychology have identified a term that many of us can likely identify with: anticipated nostalgia. Researchers describe the feeling as a mindful awareness within a present moment, and the recognition that it will be missed in the future. It is a bittersweet feeling that the present is so special and memorable, we will mourn it when it’s gone.
Nostalgia is a predominantly positive emotion. We get a happiness boost when we are reminded of an event that we feel fortunate to have experienced. Experimental manipulation has shown that nostalgia increases self-esteem and optimism. People more prone to nostalgia are typically more positive and find more meaning in life. Nostalgia of a person or relationship can also increase one’s feeling of social connectedness. There is, of course, also a component of sadness; many things that we feel nostalgic for are out of our reach. Children grow up, grandparents pass away, and relationships change to make experiences of the past impossible to recreate.
In anticipated nostalgia, we are “looking forward to looking back.” Studies show that it is most often associated with positive experiences. If you have thought during a wedding or vacation, “I’m going to remember this for a long time,” while feeling a wistful longing, you have experienced anticipated nostalgia. Perhaps you have said, “I’m going to miss you,” to a friend or sweetheart, only to have them laugh and say, “but I’m right here!” Though they were thinking of the present moment, you were anticipating the nostalgia you would feel after the day was over.
When individuals experienced anticipated nostalgia before a big change in their lives, they were able to better cope with the transition. Having an expectation that you will cherish a specific memory also primes you to do just that, leading to more positive nostalgia in the future. Anticipated nostalgia also leads to a greater appreciation of events as they happen, savouring the moment that one expects to become nostalgic about.
This is where gratitude comes in. Instead of focusing on your sadness that a moment has passed, you can feel how fortunate you were to have had that experience. The way we experience memory is not by revisiting the same exact moment over and over; memories are coloured by how we remember them. It’s as if you take a photocopy of the past photocopy, rather than looking at the original every time. This allows for the positive emotions you attach to the memory to become integral to the memory itself.
If you consciously decide to create anticipated nostalgia for yourself, you will feel the positive effects beginning at the present moment that the memory is formed. You will be able to influence your memories to remember the past more fondly. Even along with the grief or sadness that comes with the bittersweet phenomenon of nostalgia, you will experience overall more positive memories if you take the time to intentionally recognize the elements to be grateful for.
Practicing this kind of mindfulness and having an attitude of gratitude is common advice to get more out of life. Yet in the context of anticipated nostalgia, scientific study has proven the positive effects of engaging with your feelings and recognizing the importance of everyday moments. So enjoy your reflections, whether past or anticipated; and add a little gratitude so you can look back with even more fondness in the future.