In the News

Looking back, moving forward

Looking back, moving forward

This article was originally published in Wellbeing. “When we engage in nostalgia, we are not moving toward the past. We are bringing the past to the present to help us plan for the future. Nostalgia pushes us forward, not back,” writes nostalgia researcher and...

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America’s crisis of meaningless work

America’s crisis of meaningless work

This article was originally published in Business Insider. American workers are not all right. While news about "quiet quitters" spread like wildfire in 2022, things have actually gotten worse in America's workplaces since that viral trend lost steam. Engagement...

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Looking to the past for early meanings of nostalgia

Looking to the past for early meanings of nostalgia

This article was originally published in the New York Times. Before it reminded us of the glory days, nostalgia was a medical condition involving severe homesickness. In Word Through The Times, we trace how one word or phrase has changed throughout the history of the...

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What the suburb haters don’t understand

What the suburb haters don’t understand

This article was originally published in The Atlantic. The homogeneity of the suburbs has an upside: If strip malls and subdivisions remind you of home, you can feel nostalgic almost anywhere. If you listen to the experts, much of the place I’m from is not a place at...

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The sweet, sweet life of America’s DINKs

The sweet, sweet life of America’s DINKs

This article was originally published in Business Insider. Couples with two incomes and no kids are living it up like never before Elizabeth Johnson and her husband hit the vacation circuit hard over the past couple of years. They went boating in Florida, hiking in...

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How nostalgia can carry us through tough times

How nostalgia can carry us through tough times

This article was originally published in 1A Wamu. “Ah, those were the good old days.” Who hasn’t thought something like this before? These feelings of warmth and longing can be about a time in our personal lives or about an era in history. The feeling...

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No, I don’t want to know how many burritos I ate this year

No, I don’t want to know how many burritos I ate this year

This article was originally published in the Washington Post. Ah, December, when inboxes overflow with corporations defining your tastes and habits — your id, your ego, your very soul — from the past 12 months. Strava reminds you that you didn’t meet your jogging goal...

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2023: The year of nostalgia

2023: The year of nostalgia

This article was originally published in USA Today. There’s a special magic in the air during the holiday season that, for lack of better words, hurts so good. When the pine tree sales spring up around town and holiday-themed commercials air on TV, a...

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There’s a reason why some Christmas songs make you cry

There’s a reason why some Christmas songs make you cry

This article was originally published in Business Insider. Christmas is strongly linked to nostalgia, which can lead to powerful emotions. Christmas songs may be written in a certain way to trigger feelings of sadness. Connecting with those negative emotions can have...

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6 ways to tap into nostalgia—and why you should

6 ways to tap into nostalgia—and why you should

This article was originally published in Time. When people walk into Keri Piehl’s retro toy store in Albuquerque, N.M., their eyes light up. Wooden spinning tops, Yo-Yos, Trolls, rainbow lava lamps, scratch-and-sniff stickers—it’s like time travel, unlocked....

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Why nostalgia is good for you

Why nostalgia is good for you

This article was originally published in Next Avenue. As a hospice patient I'm entitled to music therapy. Since I'm more of an audiobooks fan and don't listen to music a whole lot, I couldn't understand how it would help. My nurse, Nicolle, explained that since the...

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Strengthen ND partnership to fan flames of hope

Strengthen ND partnership to fan flames of hope

This article was originally published in Minot Daily News. FARGO – Strengthen ND has announced a partnership with the Human Flourishing Lab to study and promote hope across North Dakota. “It is a tremendous opportunity to work alongside subject-matter experts and...

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The truth is out there: More Americans believe in UFOs

The truth is out there: More Americans believe in UFOs

This article was originally published in The Hill. Roughly two-fifths of Americans now believe in UFOs, polls suggest, signaling a resurgence of popular-cultural interest in extraterrestrials possibly buzzing around us.  Last week, Congress held an extraordinary...

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Why the 90s and Noughties are having such a moment

Why the 90s and Noughties are having such a moment

This article was originally published in BBC. Aqua's Barbie Girl is back on the radio, the Sugababes are packing out festival tents and low-rise jeans are here to stay. Whether it's on your radio, in the shops or at your cinema, you can't escape it. We're talking, of...

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Breaking ground in psychology, outside of the academy

Breaking ground in psychology, outside of the academy

This article was originally published in Merion West. “Regulating your own emotions is something most people are capable of doing…It doesn’t require you constantly expressing [a problem], thinking about it, [and] sharing it with everyone…There’s something about not...

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How to harness that seductive feeling of nostalgia for good

How to harness that seductive feeling of nostalgia for good

This article was originally published in Planet Woo. No, nostalgia doesn’t mean you’re stuck in the past. The morning smells like cut grass and sun cream. You can’t quite put your finger on it, but somehow you’re transported back to the last day of school, six weeks...

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Is nostalgia actually good for you?

Is nostalgia actually good for you?

This article was originally published in MPLS St. Paul. Digging deep into the science behind the actually-productive and healthy human condition of being nostalgic. In the spring of 2020, households across the country listened to Elvis Presley and Cyndi Lauper, reread...

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Why re-watching the same TV show is actually good for you

Why re-watching the same TV show is actually good for you

This article was originally published in Her magazine. Whenever life feels a bit much we crave escapism and often turn to our favourite fictional worlds for that comfort. Do you ever find yourself turning to the same show again and again? Netflix is full of gripping...

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