Memory Lane…

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Well, it turns out that it’s not just memories that are critical for our mental health (reported here).  Because dealing with nostalgia also works for depressed or anxious folks.  Amazingly, there is even a physiological response when we recall past events- our body temperature elevates.  Drs. Jonata, Tomic, and Rakowski reported that  that listening to music was a great inducer of nostalgic memories.

One researcher has been involved in this work for decades. Dr.Future Sound of Nostalgia Constantine Sedikides (University of Southhampton, UK).  He has reported that listening to music of an older era (you know the 60’s, the 50’s, swing) stirs up many positive memories.   The results are similar when we examine old photos, letters, or greeting cards we have received or retained over the years.

And, we’ve changed our thinking about nostalgia, along the way.  About a century or so ago, it was considered to be a psychosis, a form of melancholia.   That was because it had been reported to occur after feelings of loneliness or other negative behaviors- but completely neglected the fact that after the nostalgic episode, the subjects felt much better.

That is the sort of research the Sedikides has been doing.  (Here is one such result, with co-researchers Dr. Wildschut, Arndt, and Routledge.)  His group induces negative moods (reading about disasters) in lonely people – and then brings up nostalgic memories to see if they feel better.  And, that’s true, even if the recalled memories were not overwhelmingly pleasant.

Dr. X Zhou (Sun Yat Sen Unviersity, China) was once part of Sedikides’ team (along with Wildschut, Sedikides, Chen); their research found that cold days presented easier times for folks to wax nostalgic.   They also reported that cooler rooms also help- say 68 F [20 C].

But, what about our older citizens?  We need to help them develop such feelings, but without forcing the conversation.  Questions such as “What were the best parts of your childhood?”,  “Can you tell more about this time?”, or “How long have you been doing (this hobby) this?”,  are all valuable conversation-starters.  Looking at photos and asking them to identify the others in the pictures is another approach to help them use nostalgia for memory and mood improvement.

For those with dementia, these kinds of activities greatly improve their moods.  And, it works better when we involve all five of their senses– listening to music (hearing), eating a favorite food (taste), smelling fresh flowers (smell), examining photos (sight), or examining one’s wedding dress (which involves more than touch).

We still don’t have a cure for Alzheimer’s…but at least we are finding ways to make their lives more enjoyable.

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