Nostalgia: once considered a disease, why it’s good for us in small doses

Doctors used to to think nostalgia was a medical condition, one that could kill you. That’s changed, but nostalgia is still considered a negative thing

However, a little nostalgia can remind us of who we were, and inspire us to reach out and make fresh connections, the author of a new book says

Reading Time:3 minutes

Nostalgia, once considered a disease, is more common in changing or troubled times, and can be inspiring. Photo: Shutterstock

Published: 5:15am, 13 Aug 2020Updated: 7:34pm, 13 Aug 2020

If you find yourself reflecting on the past more often, you are not alone in feeling nostalgic.

“We have never had more access to our own past than we have now,” said Canadian strategist, journalist, cultural critic and author David Berry.

Like the rest of the world, Berry has found his work affected by the coronavirus pandemic. The launch of his book On Nostalgia was delayed as many printing companies stopped operating.

Finally it is available in e-book and paperback editions. Canadian publisher Coach House Books says the book “explores what it means to remember, how the universal yearning is used by us and against us, and it considers a future where the past is more readily available and easier to lose track of than ever before”.

As we prepare for a new post-pandemic world, Berry expects nostalgia, and our relationship with it, to become something we’re more aware of as it affects how we feel and think.

Canadian strategist, journalist, cultural critic and author David Berry. Photo: David Berry

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