You know that sentiment you experience when you watch an old show or listen to some music you listened to in your childhood? Turns out, the feeling is pretty universal.
Sometimes it feels like happiness, but other times, it is pure melancholy. HuffPost describes it as much more than just remembering a memory. It’s a feeling, one that can often be bittersweet. It can be happy and comforting, but there’s a bit of sadness there because you’re remembering what you’ve lost.
Since the recent reopening of various businesses, many people may find themselves entering a new chapter of their lives—some may not even recognize the person they were before the quarantine. I know I don’t. Before the reopening, I found myself rewatching one of my old favorites, “Avatar: The Last Airbender.” Once I finished the show, I felt this sense of nostalgia come over me as I rekindled childhood memories of watching it for the first time with my older sister.
As it would seem, almost the entire U.S. population was watching “Avatar: The Last Airbender” once it was put on Netflix on May 15. “Forbes” tells us that “‘Avatar: The Last Airbender’ was watched more times than ‘Sweet Magnolias,’ ‘Riverdale,’ ‘Dead To Me,’ ‘The Wrong Missy,’ ‘The Flash,’ ‘White Lines,’ ‘Outer Banks,’ ‘Soul Surfer,’ ‘Public Enemies’—the top ten titles on Netflix this week.” It remained on U.S. Netflix’s top-ten list for at least a week after it’s release, and has sparked feelings of nostalgia in viewers who first viewed it on Nickelodeon in 2005.
It made me think, perhaps other students are experiencing nostalgia because of COVID-19. For students like Charlie Walker, a fourth-year studying communication, these nostalgic feelings are something he is quite familiar with.
“HBO Max is awesome so far,” Walker said. “I think one thing I’ve noticed watching [“The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air”] as an adult is how socially conscious the show was when it came to topics of class, race and colorism. I’m a lot more aware now of the significance of having a poor Black kid from the streets of Philadelphia move in with his rich Black family in Beverly Hills.”
Walker enjoys watching the show alone, but also with his sister, because they used to watch it together as kids. “It’s like we’re both going back in time,” Walker said.
Similarly, Laura Mooney, a fourth-year studying social work, felt like they were going back in time as well. Mooney has been listening to music that not only reminds them of the past, but makes them feel hopeful for the future.
“I have personally been listening to a lot of ‘90s & 2000s hardcore,” Mooney said. “Hardcore is a subgenre of heavy metal that arose in the 1970s, focusing on a variety of topics, but is most known for its advocacy for both a vegan and straight edge lifestyle. Furthermore, a lot of hardcore bands have adopted revolutionary mindsets that have comforted me during this period of civil unrest. Bands like Foundation, whose lyric ‘what we do is all that matters’ [from ‘Silence Above, Quiet Below,’ 2015] inspires me daily, and the song ‘Always Try’ by Bold gives me revolutionary optimism of a better tomorrow.”
Nostalgia is an amazing way to recapture those feelings of childhood, and it’s actually proven to have benefits to one’s mental health.
Anna Behler, an assistant teaching professor of psychology at NC State, pointed to a “Today” show article to break down the psychological benefits of watching old shows and listening to old music.
The article cites Will Meyerhofer, a New York-based psychotherapist and author, who said indulging in nostalgia can help people deal with anxiety and mild depression.
“For my clients, these old shows are like the food they grew up with,” Meyerhofer said. “’The Brady Bunch’ or ‘The Facts of Life’ or ‘The Jeffersons’ is like that beloved baloney sandwich on Wonder Bread with just enough mayo the way mom used to make.”
At the end of day, we can’t regress back to the times that we wish we could hold onto so dearly. Luckily, nostalgia can help us go back and give us clarity on our past or hope for our future.
“Nostalgia is everywhere,” Mooney said. “Dive in!”
*Editor’s Note: Laura Mooney is the general manager of WKNC 88.1, an NC State Student Media outlet.
