Nostalgia

For those with an intact inner child, you may enjoy watching the short clip from the 2007 film called Ratatouille. This is the story of Remy, a rat, who dreams of becoming a chef.

The title of the movie refers to a simple French peasant dish, which Remy personally cooks to impress Anton Ego, a villain food critic. The dish is so brilliantly prepared that it reminds Ego of the childhood memory of his mother cooking-while tears flow from his eyes.  

I think we all have experienced those wistful memories of the cakes coming out from our mother’s oven. These sentimental yearnings consisting of intense and vivid memories are what we know as nostalgia. The word nostalgia derives from the Greek and it means the suffering that results from a desire to return to things of the past.

Reading a recent article from the Scientific American Mind Magazine reminded me of this scene in the movie. This article explains that nostalgia can promote a sense of social integration in people who are sad or feel alone.

Although nostalgia was once considered an unhealthy preoccupation, new research reveals that it improves people’s moods and is a sign of emotional well being.

Yearning for yesterday is good for us according to a team of researchers from the University of Southampton in the UK, so pull out your dusty photograph albums and enjoy your memories.