The essence of nostalgia always and everywhere is thoughts about some special places or some special events that are important for a given person – as a rule, we are talking about a place and situation where this person was surrounded by his family members or close friends.
In the XNUMXth and XNUMXth centuries, scientists in Europe and America considered nostalgia to be a disease, the symptoms of which are gratuitous crying, heart rhythm disturbances and loss of appetite. In the XNUMXth century, nostalgia was perceived as a psychiatric illness, which manifested itself in insomnia, constant anxiety and depression. It was believed that it was distributed exclusively among representatives of several social groups, such as emigrants.
Recent research shows that nostalgia is felt in all cultures and among people of all ages. It can have a positive impact on human mental health – nostalgic people have a higher level of self-esteem, they are more likely to feel a sense of security and are more optimistic about the future. Lonely people with nostalgia have also been found to tolerate their loneliness more easily. True, on the other hand, loneliness can also be a reason for the manifestation of nostalgic thoughts.
The research results were published in the journal .
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