Do you think nostalgia is real or delusional?

thisistian

thisistian

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As I get older, I find myself thinking back to the days in my childhood, memories of better times... This makes me wonder - are those memories accurate, or am I just deluding myself? Am I selectively remembering the good aspects of the past and not the bad ones? Is it because the past is pleasant to think about, because it's done and over with and that there's no uncertainty? I'm rambling -- just wanted to hear your thoughts on this.
 
Nostalgia is any longing or positive memories of the past. You may or may not have painted them in a better light than they actually were, but it's still nostalgia regardless.
 
I believe in nostalgia. Especially when I look at things I did when I was younger, or places I use to live.
 
everything seems better when ur young and when u get older everything is like ohhhhhhh ****t


wake tf up and smell the taxes
 
Nostalgia is great. I get a lot of nostalgia from the music I listen to and the video games I play.
 
I don't feel it when I remember my childhood (those would be classified as "flashbacks" or "night terrors" lol) but if I hear a song I haven't listened to in ages I'm like "oh **** that ****s ggreat". The feeling of 'nostalgia' is an emotion or experience when reminiscing to past times. So I suppose it's real.
 
i can't remember anything nostalgic about my childhood since thats a common nostalgic feeling so i don't think its possible to get nostalgia from just things that have happened in the past. it has to be things that make you happy, so video games and lots of music from the past makes me nostalgic which would make sense since its an emotion

edit: but it does have to do with how old you are i'm guessing so maybe this isn't that accurate coming from me lol
 
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With nostalgia, people tend to only remember the good moments of the past. For example, people always say "the music back when I was a kid was soooo good! This new stuff sucks!" yet if you look, there are awful music from that same day in age.

Same with games. I loved Sonic Heroes as a kid. It is so nostalgic for me! I went to go play it again to relive how great it was but failed to remember how slippery the controls were. I just remembered how much fun I had with it.
 
gyro said:
Nostalgia is any longing or positive memories of the past. You may or may not have painted them in a better light than they actually were, but it's still nostalgia regardless.
Click to expand...

^ this. Nostalgia is real. It's not a delusion.

Regarding the accuracy of your childhood memories, yes, you are recalling only selective memories. The human brain is unbelievably complex, but there are some well-established ideas about how we process childhood memories, and indeed all long-term memories. This is, in and of itself, not a bad thing. It is, in fact, essential for daily functioning. Our brains cannot keep every single memory of every experience for our whole lives to hand for us to recall.

An interesting article explaining the current theories of how, when, and why early childhood memories are lost : http://thespoke.earlychildhoodaustralia.org.au/cant-remember-early-childhood/

What you are remembering is not a full, autobiographical account of your childhood - memories don't work that way. But the - utterly normal human feeling of - nostalgia that you experience has many benefits for your brain. So long as you keep your nostalgia in perspective, it's a wonderful feeling to have!

A good general article explaining how nostalgia works and it's benefits : http://m.huffpost.com/us/entry/4031759
 
Well, nostalgia is a delusion. It makes us remember things better than they actually were.
 
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People who think the feeling of nostalgia is not real or that it is a bad thing are ********.
Regardless, one thing that always gets me is starting up Harvest Moon: AWL for GameCube and listening to the theme song that played on the farm. It is incredibly peaceful and tranquil and reminds me of those times I would just sit in front of my TV for hours figuring the game out.
 
Apple2013 said:
People who think the feeling of nostalgia is not real or that it is a bad thing are ********.
Regardless, one thing that always gets me is starting up Harvest Moon: AWL for GameCube and listening to the theme song that played on the farm. It is incredibly peaceful and tranquil and reminds me of those times I would just sit in front of my TV for hours figuring the game out.
Click to expand...

Oh that game was so wonderful.
As for nostalgia being real or delusional, I think it's mostly real and sometimes our memories are viewed with rose-tinted glasses so I guess it could be a tiny bit delusional, or maybe a tiny bit false. But for the most part, I think it's real. It's why I play older games I loved in my childhood, to make me feel like I'm back in my childhood. To make me feel like things are okay and that things aren't always bad.
 
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