WHY NOSTALGIA IS SO STRONG RIGHT NOW

Lately, there is a noticeable pull toward the past.

- By Dewmi Dodhani

Old songs are finding their way back into playlists. Childhood television shows are being streamed again late at night. Photographs from years ago resurface on social media, often paired with captions that speak of longing and escape. Phrases like take me back or life was easier then appear again and again, almost as if they belong to a shared emotional language. Nostalgia no longer feels like an occasional emotion. It feels constant, woven into everyday life.This growing attachment to the past is not really about fashion trends, outdated technology, or the charm of older music. At its core, nostalgia is about comfort. In a world that feels increasingly unpredictable, comfort has become something people are actively searching for. When stability feels scarce, the mind naturally gravitates toward moments that once felt safe, familiar, and contained.

For many people, especially younger generations, the present feels unsettled. Careers are less linear than they once were, relationships evolve quickly, and long-term plans feel fragile. Even traditional milestones such as settling down, buying a home, or feeling financially secure seem postponed or uncertain. When the future no longer feels guaranteed, the past becomes a refuge. It is a place where outcomes are already known, where uncertainty has already been resolved, and where the fear of what comes next does not exist.

Memory itself plays an important role in this longing. Nostalgia has a way of softening the past, editing it gently. We rarely remember the anxiety of exams, the awkwardness of growing up, or the emotional confusion of earlier years. Instead, we remember laughter, routines, familiar faces, and moments that felt warm and secure. Childhood and adolescence feel comforting not because they were perfect, but because they came with fewer responsibilities. Decisions were made by someone else. The weight of the future did not rest on our shoulders in the same way it does now.