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Why do we feel nostalgia? - Clay Routledge

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Nostalgia was once considered an illness confined to specific groups of people. Today, people all over the world report experiencing and enjoying nostalgia. But how does nostalgia work? And is it healthy? Clay Routledge details the way our understanding of nostalgia has changed since the term was first coined in the late 17th century.

Additional Resources for you to Explore

Do you like listening to the music you loved when you were younger or enjoy watching those old television shows that you grew up with? Does a certain smell bring back memories of your childhood? What is it about nostalgia that is so attractive to people? This article: The Rehabilitation of An Old Emotion and find out more. Is it healthy to feel nostalgic? This article just might answer that question: Nostalgia is Good Medicine.

What Is Nostalgia Good For? Quite a Bit, Research Shows discusses the new scientific research that emphasizes that being nostalgic can help alleviate loneliness, depression and anxiety. Neural Nostalgia discusses how revisiting the music we may have listened to as teenagers could actually help us emotionally.

Finally, take a look at the THE SCIENCE OF NOSTALGIA and Why Do I Get Nostalgic? Here you can learn more about how being “a bit nostalgic” may be actually a beneficial force.

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Meet The Creators

  • Educator Clay Routledge
  • Director Anton Bogaty
  • Animator Anton Bogaty
  • Script Editor Alex Gendler
  • Narrator Addison Anderson

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