Nostalgia breaks out when remembering a loss.
Nostalgia is a melancholic sadness that arises from the memory of a loss . It is usually experienced when a person is absent from their homeland and misses their people. There is also nostalgia for deceased loved ones.
When it comes to determining the etymological origin of this word, we have to establish that it is found in Greek. Thus, it is the result of the sum of two words from that language: nostos , which can be translated as "return" , and algos , which is synonymous with " pain " .
Nostalgia after a move
When talking about nostalgia, special reference is made to what is experienced by the majority of people who, for work or personal reasons, find themselves in the need to leave their cities and countries to start a new life in a different nation.
In that case, they feel homesick for their land, their family, their home or their friends. A sorrow and sadness that in Spain is commonly known as morriña . This word is a Galician term that has finally managed to be used generally by all Spanish speakers.
Nostalgia involves a longing for the past.
Longing for the past
Psychologists affirm that nostalgia expresses a longing for the past that is usually unrealistic since it is idealized . This means that the subject feels nostalgia for something that is never completely real. For example: if a person is nostalgic for his childhood, his memories only include the good times and exclude the sorrows of that time.
Nostalgia can be defined as the sorrow you feel for something you have had and that, currently, you no longer have . A type of nostalgia shared at a social level is one that expresses that everything in the past was better. Many people maintain that, long ago, men had a better quality of life, even though this, if objective indicators are measured (such as life expectancy or working conditions), is false.
Nowadays, nostalgia is not considered an illness or a psychological disorder, but rather a common feeling of melancholy that people experience at certain times. However, nostalgia can be associated with physical manifestations when it persists over time and is reflected in stomach pains or tightness in the chest.
Some thinkers maintain that nostalgia arises from man's desire to overcome finitude and temporality to relive the happy moments of his existence and eternalize them.
The memory of vacations with grandparents or a friendship from youth can provoke nostalgia.
Nostalgia in art
Given the set of feelings and emotions that nostalgia intrinsically contains, it has been the object of countless songs throughout the history of music . Among the most significant we could highlight the one entitled “Nostalgias” . It is a tango written in 1936 by Enrique Cadícamo that became one of the pieces that most identified the singer Carlos Gardel throughout his career.
However, we must not overlook the existence of another significant number of international artists who have not hesitated to surrender their art to nostalgia. Thus, among those who also have songs with this title we would highlight Rocío Dúrcal , Andrés Calamaro , Francisco Céspedes and Dyango .
Beyond music, nostalgia also appears in literature , especially poetry . The Uruguayan Mario Benedetti , for example, wrote a poem titled "Nostalgia."
This emotion, of course, was analyzed by different psychologists in books where they explain how it occurs and its scope. These works generally have the purpose of helping people understand and cope with this experience: if nostalgia is persistent or very deep, it can lead to emotional disorders that require treatment, which should never be underestimated.
Some examples
We can find examples of nostalgia in many situations that all people go through. It is common for an adult to become nostalgic when he remembers his childhood ; There is a longing for those days of joy and games.
Nostalgia also arises when certain flavors and aromas bring to mind dishes that grandmothers or mothers prepared. A person who eats potato cake after many years may fondly remember the recipe that his mother made.
Looking at family photo albums, reading letters from first love or seeing images of a reunion with school friends are other situations that tend to make you nostalgic.
As we already indicated, nostalgia refers to happy times and leaves aside sad moments. Those who remember their childhood with emotion do not take into account that at that stage they also went through difficult moments (such as teasing at school, a fight with a friend or a family estrangement).