Anticipatory Nostalgia: Longing For The Present

When we talk about nostalgia, we think about that feeling of melancholy for some past event. However, there are situations where we miss the moment we are living. We even feel nostalgic for something that hasn’t happened yet. The name given to this feeling is anticipatory nostalgia.

This concept has generated great interest and, currently, the functions and emotional benefits of feeling this longing for something that hasn’t happened are currently being studied. Next, we will present the main findings and conclusions related to this complex feeling.

Nostalgia

Our memories are associated with emotions and, as human beings, we have the ability to intentionally retrieve them. We can mentally travel to relive what touched us. Thus, nostalgia refers to that desire to want to relive the past, go back to a moment or circumstances that no longer exist.

This complex emotion implies the ability to consciously remember an event important to us. Furthermore, in its complexity is its ambivalent character, as it is not a positive or negative emotion. Instead, it includes joy and sadness. We could say it’s a bittersweet emotion.

What experts clarify is that, despite being an ambivalent emotion and causing a kind of sadness,  its effects are beneficial to psychological well-being. Nostalgia helps us define ourselves, reaffirm our feelings, increase the meaning we give to our lives, and protect us from discomfort.

When we feel alone, we tend to recall situations or experiences with people we love. This can be a natural mechanism for overcoming the perception of loneliness. Here, nostalgia helps to increase the sense of belonging and social connection  with others, better coping with the psychological state.

Some studies also show that remembering past moments helps us look to the future with a touch of optimism.

Anticipatory or anticipated nostalgia

So what happens when parents get homesick at the thought of adult children? And when you imagine yourself 20 years from now and you are sure you will miss your current life? And when you graduate from college and know that there will come a time when, at least for a few minutes, you want to embrace that moment again?

Experts differentiate between anticipatory nostalgia and anticipatory nostalgia. The first is knowing that you will miss something when you look back. In other words, be aware that you will miss them in the future. Knowing that there will be a negative emotion in the future often leads people to try to avoid it, as guilt can. However, nostalgia acts as a positive emotion and does not lead to such attempts.

Anticipatory nostalgia  , on the other hand, refers to missing aspects of the present before being lost in the future. Or, to put it another way, experiencing the loss before it occurs. In this sense, homesickness is experienced in the moment, but from a projection into the future, as sometimes happens with fear.

What feelings are associated with anticipatory nostalgia?

Although  more research on this emotion is needed, some emotional aspects that characterize people who show more anticipatory nostalgia were found, as well as which events cause this longing for future or present events that have not yet been lost.

Apparently, the aspects that cause us all kinds of nostalgia coincide. These are moments that involve important life events. Especially those related to personal relationships, achievements and the goals we achieve.

These memories and projections of the future arouse enthusiasm, optimism and curiosity. Furthermore, they are related to a feeling of gratitude for what one already has and even to the anger that can be derived from a loss. But most of all, when we know something is going to make us nostalgic, we feel inspired and motivated to savor the experiences as they unfold.

On the other hand, the lack of something we are currently experiencing is related to the tendency towards sadness. So, while nostalgia is beneficial, experiencing it prematurely can interfere with your ability to enjoy the moment. This point does not refer to the fact that people who feel it are not satisfied with what they live. What happens is that they feel more connected and therefore have a greater inability to let go of the present.

What to learn from these discoveries?

Sometimes we go through life’s events or experiences in a superficial way, and when we least think about it, it’s all happened and we can’t go back. Therefore, knowing that that moment will be the protagonist of a memory in the future, and knowing that we would like to relive it even for a moment, can help us to enjoy the present even more.

So the next time you meet friends, get big news, or complete an important project, enjoy it. Step outside of yourself for a moment to fully understand the essence of it all. Your current experiences will be the memories of the future. Live them one hundred percent and as best you can, as nothing lasts forever.