Jordin Althaus/AMC/"Mad Men" If you ever find yourself wishing you could go back in time, that's nostalgia: It's what Don Draper called "the pain from an old wound: ... a twinge in your heart far more powerful than memory alone." Now, science can explain why you get it — and whether that’s a good or a bad thing. WHAT IS NOSTALGIA? IBTimes UK The term was coined by Swiss physician Johannes Hoffer in 1688, and for years after that, nostalgia was considered a disorder, according to The New York Times. Hoffer called nostalgia a “neurological disease of essentially demonic cause,” the Times reported. The term comes from the Greek words for "returning" (nostos) and "pain" (algos). RELATED: SCIENCE EXPLAINS IF TATTOO ADDICTION IS REAL In recent years, science has delved deeper into nostalgia. What experts have found is that nostalgia isn’t a disease at all: It’s actually what makes us human. WHAT DOES NOSTALGIA LOOK LIKE ACROSS CULTURES? Tumblr After Sedikides, Tim Wildschut and other psychologists at Southampton began to study nostalgia, they found that people across the world looked back on things in the same way: “The defining features of nostalgia in England are also the defining features in Africa and South America,” Wildschut told The New York Times. RELATED: RESEARCH EXPLAINS THE LINK BETWEEN MENTAL HEALTH AND SLEEPWALKING The subjects of nostalgic reverie were universal, the Times reported: * Memories of friends and family members * Holidays * Weddings * Songs * Sunsets * Lakes In a state of nostalgia, a person looking back often views herself as “the protagonist,” surrounded by close friends, The Times reported. HERE ARE THE BENEFITS OF NOSTALGIA Shutterstock Even though nostalgia can be painful, it can also be a powerful antidote to boredom, loneliness, and anxiety, according to research conducted by Southampton psychology professor Constantine Sedikides, cited in The New York Times. RELATED: SCIENCE EXPLAINS WHY PEOPLE PULL-OUT THEIR HAIR TO HURT THEMSELVES Nostalgia can even make life seem more meaningful and render death less of a frightening prospect, Sedikedis' research found. That's because when people look back at the past, they then become more optimistic or inspired for the future, the New York Times reports. SEE THE REST OF THE STORY AT BUSINESS INSIDER
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