来源：《今日心理学》
原文刊登日期：2022年3月8日
With the challenges of the present moment and an uncertain future ahead, the past has never looked better. However, indulging a fondness for the past runs counter to popular advice. We’re routinely admonished not to “live in the past.” But is escaping into the past really such a bad thing?
面对当前的挑战和不确定的未来，过去从未如此美好过。然而，沉溺于过去与流行的建议背道而驰。我们经常被告诫不要“活在过去”。但是，躲进过去真的是一件坏事吗？
When our minds wander back to a previous time, we don’t remember things exactly as they happened. Memory is our brain’s attempt at connecting us with the past—attempt being the key word. We don’t go through life with a Record button on, and when we conjure up a memory, we’re not hitting Replay. Memory is a highly inaccurate reconstruction of our past, painted with a broad brush that tends to gloss over many negative details. That’s why nostalgia can often deliver a warm feeling.
当我们的思绪回到以前的时候，我们无法准确地复现事情发生时的状况。记忆是我们的大脑试图将我们与过去联系起来的尝试——尝试是关键词。我们不会打开“录制”按钮度过一生，当我们唤起回忆时，我们不会点击“重播”按钮。记忆是对我们过去高度不准确的重建，用一个宽笔刷来掩盖许多负面的细节。这就是为什么怀旧常常能带来温暖的感觉。
Engaging in nostalgia isn’t just comforting, though. Consider that who we were in the past isn’t who we are now: We may think, feel, or act differently today. As T. S. Eliot described it, “You are not the same people who left that station or who will arrive at any terminus.” Your memory works to stitch you together as a consistent, coherent person. When this process breaks down, you can feel a sense of discontinuity, which is linked to lower life satisfaction. Research has found, though, that people who frequently nostalgize have a greater sense of self-continuity, and a stronger sense of meaning in life. Looking back helps us make sense of where we’ve been and how we got to where we are. It helps us tell a meaningful story of our life and of how all of our discrete experiences fit together in a coherent narrative.
然而，怀旧并不仅仅是安慰。想想过去的我们并不是现在的我们：我们今天的想法、感觉或行为可能与过去都不同。正如艾略特所描述的那样，“你们不同于离开车站时的人，或将到达任何终点站的人。”你的记忆会把你拼凑成一个连贯的人。当这个过程中断时，你会有一种间断感，这与较低的生活满意度有关。而且，研究发现，经常怀旧的人有更强的自我延续性，对生活的意义有更强的感觉。回首往事可以帮助我们理解我们曾经走过的路，以及我们是如何走到今天的。它帮助我们讲述一个有意义的人生故事，以及我们所有离散的经历如何组合成一个连贯的故事。
Engaging in nostalgia also appears to have some direct mental health benefits, such as reducing cortisol levels associated with the body’s acute stress response. Further, research suggests that a tendency to nostalgize can be a protective factor against depression and anxiety. One study found that recalling specific positive life experiences was especially valuable for individuals who had experienced early-life trauma.
怀旧似乎也有一些直接的心理健康益处，比如降低与身体急性应激反应相关的皮质醇水平。此外，研究表明，怀旧倾向可能是预防抑郁和焦虑的保护性因素。一项研究发现，回忆特定的积极生活经历对那些经历过早期生活创伤的人特别有价值。
Nostalgia, then, can carry immense benefits. As Gabriel Garcia Marquez put it, “No matter what, nobody can take away the dances you’ve already had.”
因此，怀旧可以带来巨大的好处。正如加夫列尔·加西亚·马尔克斯所说：“无论如何，没有人能夺走你已经拥有的舞蹈。”