For several high school students, the past feels closer than it should. A sound, a scent, a song. Suddenly, they are eight years old again, sitting on their bedroom floor with a favorite snack and no worry in sight. It’s a feeling most people recognize: nostalgia.
It isn’t just for adults flipping through dusty photo albums. It’s when a person can no longer stand the feeling of chalk on their hands, or being too big to be carried into bed when they fall asleep on the sofa. It’s tucked into the memories of elementary playtime, old cartoons or the feeling of a simpler time.
For teenagers today, it can offer both comfort and sadness, as a reminder of how quickly life changes.
“I always wish I could relive the first ten years of my life. It feels like life before being a teen or preteen was more bright and exciting. As you grow up, I think life becomes more dull and stressful because you have more responsibilities and things to worry about. You begin to see and understand things that you didn’t before, as you aren’t as naive and experience more complex emotions,” said sophomore Aya Abdulrahman.
As students grow older and face more academic, social and personal pressures, looking back becomes a way of coping with the growing complexity of life.
Studies have shown that nostalgia can have psychological benefits. “When engaging in nostalgic reflection, people report a stronger sense of belongingness, affiliation, or sociality; they convey higher continuity between their past and their present; they describe their lives as more meaningful; and they often indicate higher levels of self-esteem and positive mood. Although nostalgic engagement may not be beneficial to all, it is in general a resource on which people can capitalize to harness strength,” according to the University of Southampton.
This is one reason why teens may turn to old songs, games or movies. They offer comfort, connection and a sense of who they’ve been. In a world where they’re expected to grow up fast, nostalgia allows them to slow down and remember the moments when things felt more certain.
Sophomore Emma Hollander finds meaning in those moments
“Nostalgia is a good feeling because it gently reminds us that we’ve lived moments worth missing. It’s the warmth of a childhood memory, the echo of laughter with someone we’ve loved, the comfort of a place that once felt like home. It’s like our heart remembering, even when our mind forgets,” said Hollander.
Emma Hollander, sophomore, draws on the sidewalk with chalk during her childhood. This photo was taken in 2020, capturing a moment of creativity from her early years. “I chose this photo because it really shows the type of person I was as a kid. I want people to know who I am as a person–whether it’s me as a child or me today,” Hollander said.
