Nostalgic Thoughts Of Happier Times Can Help
Overcome Loneliness
November 29, 2008
Nostalgia, a sentimental longing for the past, has a crucial part to play in
combating feelings of isolation and loneliness, claim researchers in a new
study.
Their findings suggest that for lonely people, drawing on nostalgic memories of
happier times could provide a coping mechanism for their feelings, magnifying
perceptions of social support and restoring an individual's feelings of social
connectedness.
Loneliness is connected to a perceived lack of social support networks, such as
close friends and family, and is usually eased by actively seeking support and
company from those networks.
However, many lonely people find it difficult to deal with their loneliness
directly, either by forming new social support networks or expanding existing
ones. This may be because they are shy or have poor social skills, or because
relocating to a new job or home has taken them away from friends and family.
Psychologists, from the Universities of Southampton and Sun Yat-Sen University,
in Guangzhou, China, conducted four diverse studies to test whether nostalgia
could combat the effects of loneliness in people from different walks of life,
including schoolchildren, college students and factory workers.
One study involved a group of migrant children between nine and 15 years of age
who had moved with their parents from rural areas to the city of Guangzhou. The
psychologists assessed how lonely they felt, how nostalgic they were for the
past, and how strong they felt their own support networks to be.
The results showed that, while the loneliest children felt there was a lack of
social support, they were also the most nostalgic for the past. This in turn
increased their perceptions of social support, making them feel less lonely.
Psychologist Dr Tim Wildschut of the University of Southampton explains:
"Our findings show that loneliness affects perceived social support in two
distinct ways. First, the direct effect of loneliness is to reduce perceived
social support, so that the lonelier a person feels, the less social support
they perceive for themselves.
"But paradoxically, loneliness may also have an indirect effect by
increasing perceived social support via nostalgia: the lonelier someone feels,
the more nostalgic they become, and the more social support they may then
perceive they have."
Tim continues: "Our findings show that nostalgia is a psychological
resource that protects and fosters mental health. It strengthens feelings of
social connectedness and belongingness, partially improving the harmful
repercussions of loneliness. Our research is an initial step towards
establishing nostalgia as a potent coping mechanism in situations of self-threat
and social threat. The past, when appropriately harnessed, can strengthen
psychological resistance to the vicissitudes of life."
Further, the researchers found a connection between nostalgia and emotional
resilience, with the restorative function of nostalgia being particularly marked
among highly resilient individuals who are able to withstand or recover quickly
from difficult conditions. When lonely, these people report high levels of
nostalgia.
The researchers say their findings have implications in a number of areas,
including for clinical psychology, where nostalgia could be used as a tool in
cognitive therapy, training individuals to benefit from the restorative function
of nostalgia when actual social support is lacking or perceived as lacking.
SOUTHAMPTON UNIVERSITY
Highfield,
Southampton
SO17 1BJ
http://www.soton.ac.uk
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