1 00:00:00,840 --> 00:00:03,400 Speaker 1: Chuck, let's go over the Stuff you Should Know concert calendar. 2 00:00:05,040 --> 00:00:06,840 Speaker 1: My friend, we are hitting the road for the Spring 3 00:00:06,880 --> 00:00:08,400 Speaker 1: Had Sprung Tour. We are going to be at the 4 00:00:08,480 --> 00:00:11,920 Speaker 1: Neptune Theater and Lovely Seattle, Washington on April eighth, my friend. 5 00:00:12,360 --> 00:00:14,520 Speaker 1: The next day, we're gonna head south to Portland, Oregon, 6 00:00:15,000 --> 00:00:18,239 Speaker 1: Revolution Hall April night, We're going to Houston, Texas, my 7 00:00:18,360 --> 00:00:23,920 Speaker 1: friend and Warehouse Live on Memorial Day weekend, and finally 8 00:00:24,320 --> 00:00:28,400 Speaker 1: finishing up Denver, Colorado at the Gothic Theater on May 9 00:00:28,440 --> 00:00:31,800 Speaker 1: twenty night. Two more dates coming. Yeah, keep your ears 10 00:00:31,800 --> 00:00:33,880 Speaker 1: out and in the meantime, if you want to get tickets, 11 00:00:33,920 --> 00:00:35,880 Speaker 1: you can go to s y s K live dot com, 12 00:00:35,920 --> 00:00:39,000 Speaker 1: power by squarespace and we'll see you guys on the road. 13 00:00:40,360 --> 00:00:43,800 Speaker 1: Welcome to Stuff you Should Know from House Stuff Works 14 00:00:43,840 --> 00:00:52,960 Speaker 1: dot com. Hey, and welcome to the podcast. I'm Josh Clark, 15 00:00:53,000 --> 00:00:55,960 Speaker 1: There's Child's w W Chuck Bryant, There's Jerry, and this 16 00:00:56,080 --> 00:00:58,880 Speaker 1: is Stuff you Should Know. There's so many things I 17 00:00:58,920 --> 00:01:01,400 Speaker 1: could do right now. I could my Buddy theme song, 18 00:01:02,320 --> 00:01:05,760 Speaker 1: could sing the theme song the Thunder of the Barbarian. Okay. 19 00:01:06,560 --> 00:01:10,600 Speaker 1: I could talk about tops baseball cards, yeah, and that 20 00:01:10,600 --> 00:01:16,760 Speaker 1: that rock card stick dumb that came. Yeah, um, I 21 00:01:16,800 --> 00:01:18,600 Speaker 1: don't think they have gum in baseball cards any more, 22 00:01:18,640 --> 00:01:20,800 Speaker 1: do they? And maybe they just gave up the ghosts. 23 00:01:20,800 --> 00:01:23,520 Speaker 1: They were like one wants that, nobody wants it. It 24 00:01:23,560 --> 00:01:27,840 Speaker 1: took out some kid's eye and that was that. Uh yeah, nostalgia. 25 00:01:28,959 --> 00:01:34,120 Speaker 1: So I think we should dedicate this show too, John Hodgeman. 26 00:01:34,840 --> 00:01:38,800 Speaker 1: Let's I thought we kind of implicitly dedicated every show 27 00:01:38,800 --> 00:01:44,400 Speaker 1: to Hodgeman, but we do why explicitly this time? Hodgeman 28 00:01:44,560 --> 00:01:49,279 Speaker 1: is uh, he is on record time and time again 29 00:01:50,000 --> 00:01:54,800 Speaker 1: with the following quote, Nostalgia is the most toxic impulse. 30 00:01:56,320 --> 00:01:59,080 Speaker 1: Oh yeah, that's he doesn't like a Christmas story? Does 31 00:01:59,160 --> 00:02:02,160 Speaker 1: he now think he's seen a Christmas story? But he uh, 32 00:02:02,160 --> 00:02:06,000 Speaker 1: he is very adamant and has been on record many 33 00:02:06,040 --> 00:02:09,480 Speaker 1: many times on his own podcast, Judge John Hodgeman and 34 00:02:09,600 --> 00:02:12,800 Speaker 1: to me in person when he wants to go on 35 00:02:12,800 --> 00:02:16,080 Speaker 1: about how much he hates nostalgia, about how bad it 36 00:02:16,160 --> 00:02:18,800 Speaker 1: is and in his deal and I'm gonna mention him 37 00:02:18,880 --> 00:02:21,639 Speaker 1: quite a bit in here. So he's either gonna listen 38 00:02:21,639 --> 00:02:22,840 Speaker 1: to this and be like, oh my god, it's about 39 00:02:22,840 --> 00:02:25,560 Speaker 1: nostalgia and these are my friends, or he's gonna skip 40 00:02:25,600 --> 00:02:27,840 Speaker 1: it all together. I could see him skipping it all 41 00:02:27,840 --> 00:02:29,359 Speaker 1: together because he didn't want to hear about it. We 42 00:02:29,440 --> 00:02:31,560 Speaker 1: maybe should clue him in and be like Hodgeman, you're 43 00:02:31,560 --> 00:02:34,079 Speaker 1: in this. He'll listen to it a million times if 44 00:02:34,080 --> 00:02:37,160 Speaker 1: you tell him that. So his notion is that, uh, 45 00:02:37,880 --> 00:02:41,400 Speaker 1: it's a longing for a better time that does not exist, 46 00:02:42,360 --> 00:02:44,600 Speaker 1: that we look back with rose colored glasses and it 47 00:02:44,680 --> 00:02:47,320 Speaker 1: was not in fact better, and that it's toxic to 48 00:02:47,400 --> 00:02:52,960 Speaker 1: do so, right, And that's absolutely a correct definition of nostalgia. 49 00:02:53,040 --> 00:02:56,040 Speaker 1: But no idea falls apart at the end when he 50 00:02:56,080 --> 00:02:59,520 Speaker 1: says that it's toxic, because quite the contrary, nostalgia has 51 00:02:59,520 --> 00:03:02,240 Speaker 1: been proven again and again to be quite helpful. Um, 52 00:03:02,280 --> 00:03:04,880 Speaker 1: I don't even agree that that's the definition of nostalgia. 53 00:03:04,919 --> 00:03:07,600 Speaker 1: I don't. I don't think it has to be longing 54 00:03:07,720 --> 00:03:11,200 Speaker 1: for a time in your past, because for me, nostalgia 55 00:03:11,280 --> 00:03:14,840 Speaker 1: is not longing for that. It is just very warm 56 00:03:14,960 --> 00:03:19,000 Speaker 1: remembrances and wrapping myself up in that. God, man, I 57 00:03:19,040 --> 00:03:22,239 Speaker 1: wish I could be fourteen again. You don't wish you 58 00:03:22,280 --> 00:03:26,280 Speaker 1: could be fourteen, No, not at all. I wish I 59 00:03:26,280 --> 00:03:30,480 Speaker 1: could be twenty six again. Nostalgia. It's a pretty dope 60 00:03:30,520 --> 00:03:34,120 Speaker 1: time in one's life, nostalgia. But I don't I don't 61 00:03:34,120 --> 00:03:37,840 Speaker 1: look back and say man, And I also take issue 62 00:03:37,880 --> 00:03:40,880 Speaker 1: with you know, sometimes things were better back then. Yeah. 63 00:03:40,920 --> 00:03:43,280 Speaker 1: But Hodgeman makes a pretty good point, and so do 64 00:03:43,480 --> 00:03:49,600 Speaker 1: the social scientists that so support his point. Um, when basically, 65 00:03:49,680 --> 00:03:55,000 Speaker 1: by definition, when you are experiencing the emotion, this very complex, weird, 66 00:03:55,320 --> 00:04:01,680 Speaker 1: understudied emotion of nostalgia, you're thinking about something in a 67 00:04:01,760 --> 00:04:06,280 Speaker 1: way that it really kind of didn't actually happen. Like 68 00:04:06,320 --> 00:04:09,480 Speaker 1: the negative stuff gets cut out. Um, you know, like 69 00:04:09,960 --> 00:04:14,520 Speaker 1: stepping on a rusty nail right after that great memory 70 00:04:14,680 --> 00:04:17,960 Speaker 1: from camp or whatever. Uh, that part gets cut out, 71 00:04:18,000 --> 00:04:20,200 Speaker 1: And I disagree with that, just the good stuff. So 72 00:04:21,480 --> 00:04:24,719 Speaker 1: I'm talking about like the studies that support it. Yeah, 73 00:04:24,760 --> 00:04:27,000 Speaker 1: but they they don't think these studies are right because 74 00:04:27,000 --> 00:04:30,480 Speaker 1: the subjective it's very personal. Like I can remember that 75 00:04:30,640 --> 00:04:33,039 Speaker 1: social science for you. I can remember the smell of 76 00:04:33,120 --> 00:04:35,719 Speaker 1: my grandparents house, their first house, and how much I 77 00:04:35,760 --> 00:04:37,240 Speaker 1: loved it in that one summer I went on my 78 00:04:37,240 --> 00:04:40,240 Speaker 1: first plane trip. And I also remember biting my tongue 79 00:04:40,240 --> 00:04:43,560 Speaker 1: off playing soccer and how awful that was. Like I 80 00:04:43,600 --> 00:04:45,680 Speaker 1: don't edit that out and be like, no, everything about 81 00:04:45,680 --> 00:04:47,920 Speaker 1: it was great, Like no, I bet my tongue off 82 00:04:47,960 --> 00:04:52,760 Speaker 1: and it was terrible. Um. So okay, I think then 83 00:04:52,800 --> 00:04:56,320 Speaker 1: what you're talking about is the difference between reminiscing, which 84 00:04:56,360 --> 00:05:00,359 Speaker 1: is more of an episodic memory, and nostalgia, which is 85 00:05:00,440 --> 00:05:05,040 Speaker 1: almost purely just an emotional memory. No, that's an emotional memory. 86 00:05:05,080 --> 00:05:07,000 Speaker 1: All right. Well then you you'll just have to say 87 00:05:07,040 --> 00:05:15,039 Speaker 1: I believe you, Chuck, I Burns, I believe you Chuck. 88 00:05:15,160 --> 00:05:17,960 Speaker 1: All right, So let's go back in time a little bit. Um. 89 00:05:18,000 --> 00:05:25,200 Speaker 1: There's a Swiss doctor named uh Johannes Hofer, and he 90 00:05:25,240 --> 00:05:29,000 Speaker 1: was studying some Swiss soldiers that were stationed abroad, and 91 00:05:29,040 --> 00:05:31,000 Speaker 1: he said, you know what, there's something going on here. 92 00:05:31,600 --> 00:05:35,640 Speaker 1: They are depressed, they're anxious, they can't sleep, they're tired, 93 00:05:36,160 --> 00:05:41,080 Speaker 1: they're even having heart palpitations and fever. Um. They're angry, 94 00:05:41,200 --> 00:05:45,360 Speaker 1: really easily um, and they just can't stop thinking about 95 00:05:45,400 --> 00:05:49,440 Speaker 1: their home. It is almost as if they are home sick. Right, 96 00:05:50,200 --> 00:05:53,280 Speaker 1: And he coined the term. He coined the term um 97 00:05:53,440 --> 00:05:57,839 Speaker 1: the nostalgia from Greek nostos, which means to return home 98 00:05:58,640 --> 00:06:02,960 Speaker 1: and I'll go or al jos pain so the pain 99 00:06:03,040 --> 00:06:06,520 Speaker 1: of yearning to return home. Yeah, it is what he described. 100 00:06:06,560 --> 00:06:09,400 Speaker 1: He literally said, it's a cerebral disease of essentially demonic 101 00:06:09,400 --> 00:06:13,479 Speaker 1: cause ideas of the fatherland, making them sick and longing 102 00:06:13,520 --> 00:06:16,640 Speaker 1: for home. It's a no brainer. It's like these guys 103 00:06:16,680 --> 00:06:19,120 Speaker 1: are fighting a war and they'd rather be back home. Yeah. 104 00:06:19,160 --> 00:06:21,719 Speaker 1: It sounds like he was describing PTSD though as well, 105 00:06:22,360 --> 00:06:25,920 Speaker 1: maybe because when these attendant symptoms that he talked about, 106 00:06:25,960 --> 00:06:28,440 Speaker 1: like not being able to sleep or eat and having 107 00:06:28,480 --> 00:06:33,400 Speaker 1: fever and heart palpitations, that's not nostalgia. But Johannes Hoffer 108 00:06:33,560 --> 00:06:37,400 Speaker 1: did um set the tone for nostalgia for centuries, so 109 00:06:37,480 --> 00:06:41,000 Speaker 1: either it was viewed as a physical malady or disorder 110 00:06:41,120 --> 00:06:45,479 Speaker 1: or disease or a psychological one up until basically the 111 00:06:45,560 --> 00:06:49,359 Speaker 1: nineteen eighties. To tell you the truth, UM. And at first, 112 00:06:49,400 --> 00:06:52,600 Speaker 1: because the Hawfer's study of the Swiss soldiers UM, they 113 00:06:52,640 --> 00:06:56,680 Speaker 1: actually thought that possibly it was just the Swiss who 114 00:06:56,680 --> 00:07:00,719 Speaker 1: were afflicted by nostalgia. And one of the other alternative 115 00:07:00,720 --> 00:07:04,360 Speaker 1: explanations for it was that the constant clanging of cow 116 00:07:04,440 --> 00:07:08,880 Speaker 1: bells had done something to the nerves connecting the ear 117 00:07:08,960 --> 00:07:12,920 Speaker 1: drum to the brain and was basically driving these people crazy, 118 00:07:13,280 --> 00:07:16,400 Speaker 1: wanting them to making them want to go home, or 119 00:07:16,480 --> 00:07:19,840 Speaker 1: at least steal the cow bell, right, get it off 120 00:07:19,880 --> 00:07:23,360 Speaker 1: the neck. You want to hear something weird. So Hawfer 121 00:07:23,440 --> 00:07:27,560 Speaker 1: also said that, um, the ideas of the fatherland that 122 00:07:27,600 --> 00:07:32,320 Speaker 1: were vibrating in the soldier's brains. Um, he said that 123 00:07:32,320 --> 00:07:36,960 Speaker 1: that was brought on by animal spirits. And I read 124 00:07:36,960 --> 00:07:41,640 Speaker 1: this yesterday. The same night I was reading an article 125 00:07:41,760 --> 00:07:46,560 Speaker 1: by Dr Jack Cavorkian about human experimentation among the condemned 126 00:07:46,560 --> 00:07:50,200 Speaker 1: and executed, because that's what I do, right, He mentions 127 00:07:50,400 --> 00:07:54,160 Speaker 1: animal spirits in the exact same way. So apparently there 128 00:07:54,240 --> 00:07:56,840 Speaker 1: was a time when they thought that the they called 129 00:07:56,880 --> 00:07:59,160 Speaker 1: but what we would now call the electricity and the 130 00:07:59,160 --> 00:08:03,280 Speaker 1: central nervousist them animal spirits, right, one of those old terms. Right. 131 00:08:03,640 --> 00:08:06,360 Speaker 1: And I ran across it twice in one day, which 132 00:08:06,400 --> 00:08:10,720 Speaker 1: is basically the bottom line haff phenomenon. I just thought 133 00:08:10,760 --> 00:08:12,640 Speaker 1: that was so weird. I mean, like, yeah, and that's 134 00:08:12,640 --> 00:08:15,640 Speaker 1: pretty obscure, you know, very It's not like, oh I 135 00:08:15,680 --> 00:08:18,960 Speaker 1: saw eleven eleven on the clock again today, you know, right, 136 00:08:19,280 --> 00:08:25,080 Speaker 1: those people animal spirits? Alright, So uh, fast forward a 137 00:08:25,080 --> 00:08:27,640 Speaker 1: little bit. Uh, and we like you said, for many, 138 00:08:27,680 --> 00:08:30,080 Speaker 1: many years it was looked at as a mental illness 139 00:08:30,080 --> 00:08:35,400 Speaker 1: called melancholia or immigrant psychosis. Yeah, that was another thing. 140 00:08:35,480 --> 00:08:39,440 Speaker 1: They thought that just immigrants, semen, soldiers and kids who 141 00:08:39,440 --> 00:08:42,400 Speaker 1: went off to school were the ones who suffered from it. Yeah. Basically, 142 00:08:42,440 --> 00:08:44,840 Speaker 1: you get shipped off somewhere and you yearn for the 143 00:08:44,840 --> 00:08:50,000 Speaker 1: place that you liked better, which is called just homesickness. Homesickness, right, 144 00:08:50,040 --> 00:08:53,520 Speaker 1: but then different things. But but not until the the 145 00:08:53,559 --> 00:08:57,400 Speaker 1: eighties even, um, did it begin to get separated. Yeah, 146 00:08:57,400 --> 00:08:59,920 Speaker 1: and this article points out very astutely, I thought this 147 00:09:00,160 --> 00:09:03,960 Speaker 1: was pretty good. Um, that homes Julia Layton joint. Yeah, 148 00:09:04,040 --> 00:09:06,319 Speaker 1: she's been around house stiff works for a while. She's 149 00:09:06,360 --> 00:09:13,440 Speaker 1: a vet. Uh, not a veterinarian or a veteran soldier. Um, 150 00:09:13,480 --> 00:09:16,160 Speaker 1: although I don't know, Julie, she might be both. Yes, 151 00:09:16,320 --> 00:09:20,280 Speaker 1: you could have you never know, served the mp dogs 152 00:09:21,000 --> 00:09:25,719 Speaker 1: as a vet in the army. In the army. Um, homesickness, 153 00:09:25,800 --> 00:09:28,360 Speaker 1: Julie points out, is distressing, which makes a lot of sense. 154 00:09:28,600 --> 00:09:32,720 Speaker 1: And that's different from nostalgia because nostalgia generally is even 155 00:09:32,720 --> 00:09:36,480 Speaker 1: though it is complex. Uh, and we'll get to all that, 156 00:09:36,559 --> 00:09:39,280 Speaker 1: it is generally looked at as a feeling of like 157 00:09:39,440 --> 00:09:42,480 Speaker 1: pleasant feelings watch over you when you think of the 158 00:09:42,480 --> 00:09:51,240 Speaker 1: good old days, in direct contraditioniction to Hodgeman's ideas. Um, 159 00:09:51,280 --> 00:09:54,960 Speaker 1: all right, so let's talk about it, okay, So um, 160 00:09:55,160 --> 00:09:59,199 Speaker 1: Since it was up until again the late nineteen eighties 161 00:09:59,280 --> 00:10:04,160 Speaker 1: viewed as basically an attendant symptom or somehow tied into 162 00:10:04,280 --> 00:10:09,920 Speaker 1: depression or some other psychological malady. UM, it wasn't until 163 00:10:10,040 --> 00:10:12,360 Speaker 1: very recently that the social science has started to say, 164 00:10:12,600 --> 00:10:15,320 Speaker 1: I don't know if that's necessarily true, let's look into it. 165 00:10:15,679 --> 00:10:20,120 Speaker 1: So the actual study of nostalgia itself is extremely new, 166 00:10:20,760 --> 00:10:24,440 Speaker 1: and um it's still very much understudy, which is to 167 00:10:24,480 --> 00:10:27,360 Speaker 1: say that the social sciences has not yielded any kind 168 00:10:27,360 --> 00:10:31,800 Speaker 1: of definitive answers to what nostalgia is, where it comes from. 169 00:10:32,240 --> 00:10:34,440 Speaker 1: The There seems to be a general consensus that it 170 00:10:34,520 --> 00:10:38,480 Speaker 1: is an emotion, but the complex secondary emotion, meaning it's 171 00:10:38,520 --> 00:10:41,280 Speaker 1: not anger, it's not fear, it's not joy. But it 172 00:10:41,280 --> 00:10:44,360 Speaker 1: seems to be secondary and it seems to spring from 173 00:10:44,480 --> 00:10:47,720 Speaker 1: um society in the same way that a secondary emotion 174 00:10:47,760 --> 00:10:51,760 Speaker 1: like embarrassment or self consciousness UM has arisen from our 175 00:10:52,200 --> 00:10:56,080 Speaker 1: experience in society. The nostalgist seems to have come in 176 00:10:56,120 --> 00:10:59,360 Speaker 1: the same way. Yeah, and they've noticed some trends, which 177 00:10:59,400 --> 00:11:01,240 Speaker 1: is about as good as you can do when you're 178 00:11:01,240 --> 00:11:03,920 Speaker 1: studying something like nostalgia. And when we talk about some 179 00:11:03,920 --> 00:11:08,520 Speaker 1: of these real studies, it's they're frustrating for me to read, 180 00:11:08,720 --> 00:11:11,440 Speaker 1: but we'll we'll get to those. But some of the trends. 181 00:11:11,480 --> 00:11:14,040 Speaker 1: If you are a worry wart, you might be a 182 00:11:14,080 --> 00:11:18,640 Speaker 1: little more prone to nostalgize because you know, you're you're 183 00:11:18,679 --> 00:11:21,160 Speaker 1: trying to escape your worries and think about like a 184 00:11:21,160 --> 00:11:23,520 Speaker 1: happier time when you're on the beach, toes in the 185 00:11:23,559 --> 00:11:27,480 Speaker 1: sand maybe, uh. And they experts think that if you 186 00:11:27,480 --> 00:11:31,160 Speaker 1: are in transitional periods of your life, you're going to 187 00:11:31,240 --> 00:11:34,200 Speaker 1: be more prone, Like if you're a kid growing into 188 00:11:34,240 --> 00:11:36,920 Speaker 1: an adult, or if you are in your forties and 189 00:11:36,920 --> 00:11:40,520 Speaker 1: fifties and you're transitioning into uh, let's say fifties or sixties. 190 00:11:40,600 --> 00:11:42,920 Speaker 1: Well from in my forties, from middle age in two 191 00:11:43,120 --> 00:11:47,040 Speaker 1: senior adulthood. Yeah, these transitional, big transitions in your life, 192 00:11:47,320 --> 00:11:49,560 Speaker 1: you might might be a little more prone to sort 193 00:11:49,559 --> 00:11:52,440 Speaker 1: of look at your life and think, because what have 194 00:11:52,480 --> 00:11:55,560 Speaker 1: I done with my life? Is also tied to nostalgia. 195 00:11:55,679 --> 00:11:58,760 Speaker 1: And that makes sense utterly and completely because what they 196 00:11:58,880 --> 00:12:01,760 Speaker 1: found with nostalgia is that it's a it's like you said, 197 00:12:01,760 --> 00:12:04,880 Speaker 1: it's a means of escapism. And during these times where 198 00:12:04,920 --> 00:12:09,680 Speaker 1: you're going from adolescence into young adulthood UM or middle 199 00:12:09,720 --> 00:12:13,760 Speaker 1: aged into old adulthood, that's a that's a place of fear. 200 00:12:14,520 --> 00:12:17,480 Speaker 1: You know what's coming next, and you start thinking about 201 00:12:17,640 --> 00:12:21,400 Speaker 1: the good times that you've had. UM. Almost involuntarily, it 202 00:12:21,440 --> 00:12:26,280 Speaker 1: seems like nostalgia happens. You think, yeah, let me, uh, 203 00:12:26,760 --> 00:12:30,640 Speaker 1: I'm a little nervous right now, let me nostalgize. It's 204 00:12:30,679 --> 00:12:34,120 Speaker 1: almost like an involuntary mental trigger that takes place. Although 205 00:12:34,160 --> 00:12:38,319 Speaker 1: that is a thing. Uh. Julia points out that, UM, 206 00:12:38,320 --> 00:12:41,720 Speaker 1: people can use it almost like a bag of tricks 207 00:12:41,880 --> 00:12:45,800 Speaker 1: if they are prone to depression to call upon these things. 208 00:12:45,960 --> 00:12:49,760 Speaker 1: And it's like nostalgia can be a tool. I mean, 209 00:12:49,840 --> 00:12:52,680 Speaker 1: you'd have to kind of conjure it up. Sure, no, no, 210 00:12:52,760 --> 00:12:55,400 Speaker 1: I know you can, you know, but you don't necessarily, 211 00:12:55,480 --> 00:12:58,200 Speaker 1: that's not necessarily how it happens. And and they found 212 00:12:58,200 --> 00:13:02,600 Speaker 1: that there are plenty of things that trigger like music, UM, 213 00:13:02,640 --> 00:13:07,280 Speaker 1: like smells, uh, different things that you that basically serve 214 00:13:07,320 --> 00:13:11,880 Speaker 1: as mnemonic devices in the formation of emotional memories. Um. 215 00:13:11,920 --> 00:13:15,120 Speaker 1: And the thing that's come up from the study that 216 00:13:15,200 --> 00:13:17,600 Speaker 1: has been done on nostalgia is that it seems to 217 00:13:17,640 --> 00:13:22,439 Speaker 1: be universal. That's it's not culturally bound, and the triggers 218 00:13:22,520 --> 00:13:26,680 Speaker 1: that trigger nostalgia are also universal. So it'll be like 219 00:13:26,720 --> 00:13:31,040 Speaker 1: a social memory of a social experience with friends and family, 220 00:13:31,559 --> 00:13:33,760 Speaker 1: you know, and like that might be culturally bound, like 221 00:13:33,800 --> 00:13:37,640 Speaker 1: Thanksgiving in America or Canada where they have fake Thanksgiving 222 00:13:37,640 --> 00:13:42,360 Speaker 1: a month early, um, but then it might be Carnival 223 00:13:42,520 --> 00:13:45,280 Speaker 1: down in Buenos Aireas or something like that, so that 224 00:13:45,440 --> 00:13:48,560 Speaker 1: the actual experience might be culturally bound, but the trigger itself, 225 00:13:48,760 --> 00:13:53,240 Speaker 1: having a good time at like a holiday is universal. Yeah. 226 00:13:53,320 --> 00:13:55,920 Speaker 1: So let's take a break. Uh, we'll come back and 227 00:13:55,960 --> 00:13:58,800 Speaker 1: talk about triggers more after this, and we'll let Hodgeman 228 00:13:59,360 --> 00:14:02,240 Speaker 1: take a deep then maybe run around the block because 229 00:14:02,240 --> 00:14:23,040 Speaker 1: I since he's getting angry. So we're back, Yeah, we are. 230 00:14:23,560 --> 00:14:25,720 Speaker 1: We had to establish that because I got confused. You 231 00:14:25,760 --> 00:14:31,160 Speaker 1: mentioned music being a trigger that is very powerful. Um. 232 00:14:31,200 --> 00:14:35,760 Speaker 1: And again it's it's variant among people's individual experience, but music, 233 00:14:35,840 --> 00:14:40,920 Speaker 1: for me still I thinking about this is huge nostalgia trigger. 234 00:14:41,360 --> 00:14:45,240 Speaker 1: But I think I realized that almost add percent of 235 00:14:45,280 --> 00:14:47,760 Speaker 1: the time, it's a song that I haven't heard for 236 00:14:47,800 --> 00:14:52,960 Speaker 1: a long long time. So if I hear Jay Giles 237 00:14:53,000 --> 00:14:57,920 Speaker 1: Fands Centerfold, great song reminds me of elementary school in 238 00:14:57,920 --> 00:15:02,320 Speaker 1: a very powerful way and even specific things. But I've 239 00:15:02,320 --> 00:15:04,600 Speaker 1: heard that song a gazillion times. I hear it once 240 00:15:04,640 --> 00:15:08,360 Speaker 1: a week on classic rock radio, So it doesn't flood 241 00:15:08,400 --> 00:15:10,680 Speaker 1: you with nostalgia. No, no no more. You've heard it too much. 242 00:15:10,680 --> 00:15:13,920 Speaker 1: It's over you. But if I hear a song from 243 00:15:14,080 --> 00:15:16,520 Speaker 1: like all of my CDs are packed up in the attic, 244 00:15:16,640 --> 00:15:19,120 Speaker 1: and most of those are from like a certain period 245 00:15:19,120 --> 00:15:20,800 Speaker 1: of my life where I bought CDs, So if you 246 00:15:20,840 --> 00:15:23,520 Speaker 1: hear true Blue, you just start weeping. With true Blue 247 00:15:23,600 --> 00:15:25,400 Speaker 1: more recent than that. But if I hear a song 248 00:15:25,480 --> 00:15:28,320 Speaker 1: from like one of my CDs from the mid nineties 249 00:15:28,960 --> 00:15:30,840 Speaker 1: that I just may not have heard in a long time, 250 00:15:31,320 --> 00:15:34,200 Speaker 1: that is like super super powerful. Well, like what song 251 00:15:34,680 --> 00:15:36,360 Speaker 1: I don't know, just like a song from my l 252 00:15:36,440 --> 00:15:40,120 Speaker 1: a days maybe um or or just something I don't 253 00:15:40,120 --> 00:15:42,640 Speaker 1: listen like, uh, something from college that I don't listen 254 00:15:42,640 --> 00:15:44,920 Speaker 1: to anymore, and it's like never played on the radio. 255 00:15:45,240 --> 00:15:51,920 Speaker 1: Like I'll hear Urban Dance squad deeper Shade of Soul, uh, 256 00:15:52,640 --> 00:15:58,680 Speaker 1: deep shade of Soul. Right, remember now it sounds like 257 00:15:58,680 --> 00:16:01,120 Speaker 1: a pretty nineties song though it was very nineties, and like, 258 00:16:01,280 --> 00:16:03,720 Speaker 1: you never hear that song anymore. So if I hear 259 00:16:03,760 --> 00:16:06,920 Speaker 1: that song like just now, I just sang a little 260 00:16:06,920 --> 00:16:09,480 Speaker 1: bit of it. How how are you feeling, I'm feeling great, 261 00:16:09,760 --> 00:16:12,440 Speaker 1: I'm not. I'm not feeling toxic. Hodgman is mad at 262 00:16:12,440 --> 00:16:15,040 Speaker 1: you right now. I know it feels wonderful. Stop stop 263 00:16:15,920 --> 00:16:18,120 Speaker 1: so And I don't want to go back in time 264 00:16:18,200 --> 00:16:20,760 Speaker 1: too then either, I'm just remembering, like, man, what a 265 00:16:20,800 --> 00:16:23,680 Speaker 1: great song that takes me back to college. Yeah, And 266 00:16:23,680 --> 00:16:26,680 Speaker 1: and the reason why songs tend to be so powerful 267 00:16:26,720 --> 00:16:32,360 Speaker 1: and potent um, especially from a certain age, typically adolescents, right, 268 00:16:32,840 --> 00:16:35,480 Speaker 1: supposedly has to do with the way that the brain 269 00:16:35,640 --> 00:16:38,160 Speaker 1: is working right then. You know everyone says teenagers have 270 00:16:38,240 --> 00:16:41,160 Speaker 1: like raging hormones going on. Well, there is a lot 271 00:16:41,240 --> 00:16:46,000 Speaker 1: more brain chemistry floating around than happens throughout the rest 272 00:16:46,000 --> 00:16:49,760 Speaker 1: of your life, so it's easier to form very powerful 273 00:16:49,800 --> 00:16:54,840 Speaker 1: emotional memories. Um, and when when you're listening to music 274 00:16:55,040 --> 00:16:56,840 Speaker 1: at that age, So that when you go back and 275 00:16:56,880 --> 00:17:00,040 Speaker 1: listen to it, it's basically going back and you're a 276 00:17:00,160 --> 00:17:04,280 Speaker 1: card catalog of a brain and unlocking that emotional memory 277 00:17:04,359 --> 00:17:06,280 Speaker 1: so you get to experience it a little bit again. 278 00:17:06,560 --> 00:17:09,399 Speaker 1: And then that's nostalgia brought on from by music. Yeah, 279 00:17:09,480 --> 00:17:12,280 Speaker 1: that makes sense for me. The one that gets me 280 00:17:12,320 --> 00:17:15,800 Speaker 1: the most is sent Yes, Senten tastes for me are 281 00:17:15,800 --> 00:17:19,840 Speaker 1: really powerful too, so like um, the smell of um 282 00:17:20,000 --> 00:17:25,240 Speaker 1: Pillsberry cinnamon rolls and orange rolls. It's like Christmas age eight, 283 00:17:26,359 --> 00:17:29,120 Speaker 1: like every time. Now do you ever eat that stuff? Now? 284 00:17:29,440 --> 00:17:33,040 Speaker 1: I just did yesterday as a little trip down memory lane. Yes, 285 00:17:33,240 --> 00:17:37,960 Speaker 1: well not as it you know, but it inevitably brought 286 00:17:38,000 --> 00:17:40,000 Speaker 1: it on. Okay, so you didn't say, like I'm doing 287 00:17:40,040 --> 00:17:42,040 Speaker 1: a nostalgia podcast, I'm gonna go get some of those 288 00:17:42,040 --> 00:17:45,280 Speaker 1: sweet rolls. No, it was totally coincidental. Actually, like the 289 00:17:45,320 --> 00:17:48,240 Speaker 1: animal spirits. Yeah, what I've been doing lately is seeking 290 00:17:48,280 --> 00:17:51,119 Speaker 1: out things that I haven't had and forever, just to 291 00:17:51,720 --> 00:17:55,399 Speaker 1: see what happens. Oh yeah, So so basically you're the 292 00:17:55,440 --> 00:18:01,360 Speaker 1: other day, you're like strange Days. Remember that movie with Refines. Yeah, boy, 293 00:18:01,400 --> 00:18:05,040 Speaker 1: that takes me back, but with but with nostalgia. How 294 00:18:05,119 --> 00:18:07,800 Speaker 1: what what flavor s? I did the same, always did 295 00:18:07,840 --> 00:18:10,879 Speaker 1: a mixed cherry and coke. And I haven't had a 296 00:18:10,880 --> 00:18:14,560 Speaker 1: slurpie since probably like high school. And it was it. 297 00:18:14,920 --> 00:18:18,240 Speaker 1: You know, that taste was so familiar and exactly how 298 00:18:18,280 --> 00:18:21,040 Speaker 1: I remember. But it wasn't like, oh, this takes me 299 00:18:21,080 --> 00:18:23,639 Speaker 1: back to those days. I'm just like, oh, this is interesting. 300 00:18:23,720 --> 00:18:26,919 Speaker 1: I ate a circus peanut the other days. Now they're awful, 301 00:18:26,960 --> 00:18:29,200 Speaker 1: but I haven't had one since I was probably ten. 302 00:18:29,359 --> 00:18:31,800 Speaker 1: I've avoided those of my whole life. Yeah, and um 303 00:18:32,400 --> 00:18:34,960 Speaker 1: those you know those uh, the other one that gets 304 00:18:35,000 --> 00:18:36,960 Speaker 1: me of those, remember when you were a kid trick 305 00:18:37,000 --> 00:18:39,920 Speaker 1: or treating and you would get those kind a chewy 306 00:18:39,960 --> 00:18:42,680 Speaker 1: peanut butter treats and the wax the waxy rappers. Yeah, 307 00:18:42,720 --> 00:18:45,240 Speaker 1: I don't remember what they're called that, there were no name, 308 00:18:45,480 --> 00:18:50,080 Speaker 1: like but email that really Yeah, it's got to be 309 00:18:50,119 --> 00:18:56,359 Speaker 1: that orange or like those man instant of nostalgia. Nice 310 00:18:56,520 --> 00:19:00,800 Speaker 1: not toxic. Yeah, it's wonderful. Um, peanut butter twicks can 311 00:19:00,800 --> 00:19:02,840 Speaker 1: do that for me. It was one of my first 312 00:19:02,880 --> 00:19:04,800 Speaker 1: favorite candy bars. I'll thought you about say like it 313 00:19:04,840 --> 00:19:08,399 Speaker 1: takes me back to two eight, No, they had peanut 314 00:19:08,440 --> 00:19:10,199 Speaker 1: butter twicks in the eighties, they tried it for a 315 00:19:10,200 --> 00:19:12,600 Speaker 1: little while they were all stopped. Yeah, they don't have 316 00:19:12,600 --> 00:19:17,119 Speaker 1: those anymore, do they. Okay, is that one in your pocket? 317 00:19:18,440 --> 00:19:21,400 Speaker 1: It's been tucked into my cheek right now. So a taste, 318 00:19:21,680 --> 00:19:26,760 Speaker 1: they think, and induces nostalgia pretty heavily because the pathways 319 00:19:27,119 --> 00:19:30,879 Speaker 1: carrying information from taste buds are in the limbic system 320 00:19:31,480 --> 00:19:33,520 Speaker 1: and where scent is as well. Yeah, and your old 321 00:19:33,520 --> 00:19:36,560 Speaker 1: factory bulb is super duper in the limbic system, and 322 00:19:36,600 --> 00:19:39,440 Speaker 1: it's actually got a direct connection to the amygdala, which 323 00:19:39,840 --> 00:19:45,080 Speaker 1: helps experience emotions. And um, what's the other component of 324 00:19:45,080 --> 00:19:49,280 Speaker 1: the olympics system, the hippocampus. Yeah, the hippocampus which sorts 325 00:19:49,320 --> 00:19:52,840 Speaker 1: in stores memories. So your old factory bulb itself is 326 00:19:54,880 --> 00:19:59,360 Speaker 1: almost literally plugged in to the two components of your 327 00:19:59,400 --> 00:20:02,960 Speaker 1: brain that form emotional memories, which is one reason why 328 00:20:02,960 --> 00:20:06,560 Speaker 1: I scent can trigger nostalgist so powerfully too. Yeah. Does 329 00:20:06,600 --> 00:20:10,080 Speaker 1: that I wondered if that means that if it's more immediate, 330 00:20:10,119 --> 00:20:12,840 Speaker 1: then it's stronger, like if it's just a quicker link, 331 00:20:13,080 --> 00:20:17,040 Speaker 1: maybe like literally the pathway is shorter. It could be 332 00:20:17,240 --> 00:20:22,680 Speaker 1: interesting that I mean that's that's what Layton um supposed. Yeah, 333 00:20:22,720 --> 00:20:26,040 Speaker 1: I don't think she'd uh pull that out of her head. 334 00:20:26,040 --> 00:20:29,159 Speaker 1: I think that's the common belief, right for something that 335 00:20:29,200 --> 00:20:31,560 Speaker 1: they don't understand that much. Yeah, And I that I 336 00:20:31,600 --> 00:20:35,640 Speaker 1: think that's probably got to be coming through to dear listeners, right, 337 00:20:35,760 --> 00:20:39,359 Speaker 1: that this is like this is there's a lot of 338 00:20:39,400 --> 00:20:42,280 Speaker 1: grasping at threads going on, in part because it is 339 00:20:42,359 --> 00:20:46,760 Speaker 1: just very um, it's very early on in the study 340 00:20:46,760 --> 00:20:49,119 Speaker 1: of nostalgia. There's not a lot of people studying it, 341 00:20:49,600 --> 00:20:53,199 Speaker 1: and so the number of theories is kind of narrow, 342 00:20:53,760 --> 00:20:56,040 Speaker 1: but a lot of it does make sense. Yeah, And 343 00:20:56,040 --> 00:20:58,080 Speaker 1: when you look at these studies, which we'll talk about 344 00:20:58,480 --> 00:21:02,000 Speaker 1: so many of them hinge on. All right, you're feeling nostalgic, 345 00:21:02,080 --> 00:21:03,960 Speaker 1: All right, let's do something to you, right, Or you're 346 00:21:03,960 --> 00:21:06,600 Speaker 1: not feeling nostalgic, Let's do the same thing to you, 347 00:21:07,359 --> 00:21:09,920 Speaker 1: which I mean, this is a very tough study to 348 00:21:09,960 --> 00:21:12,000 Speaker 1: pull off. It totally is. And that's a big problem 349 00:21:12,040 --> 00:21:14,720 Speaker 1: that the social sciences run up against, Like they are 350 00:21:15,520 --> 00:21:20,359 Speaker 1: studying subjective reports. Well, the average person can't tell you 351 00:21:20,400 --> 00:21:22,440 Speaker 1: how they're feeling, even when they sit there and think 352 00:21:22,440 --> 00:21:26,600 Speaker 1: about how they're feeling. So there are standardized, standardized questionnaires 353 00:21:26,600 --> 00:21:29,639 Speaker 1: that have become accepted in the field that that say 354 00:21:29,760 --> 00:21:34,639 Speaker 1: this scores of persons like UM like feeling of nostalgia. 355 00:21:34,680 --> 00:21:38,560 Speaker 1: There's actually a questionnaire that that is designed to rate 356 00:21:38,880 --> 00:21:41,359 Speaker 1: how nostalgic you are at the time you take it. 357 00:21:41,840 --> 00:21:45,200 Speaker 1: Um and and there's there are ways to study. It's 358 00:21:45,200 --> 00:21:47,840 Speaker 1: not just totally willy nilly, but when you compare it 359 00:21:47,880 --> 00:21:51,600 Speaker 1: to something say like um biology or something like that, 360 00:21:51,680 --> 00:21:56,639 Speaker 1: it's it's a little it's it's slightly whispier. Agreed, Um, 361 00:21:56,960 --> 00:21:59,439 Speaker 1: Should we take a whispy break and talk about some 362 00:21:59,440 --> 00:22:18,280 Speaker 1: of these studies to this? Yes, all right, buddy, we 363 00:22:18,880 --> 00:22:23,240 Speaker 1: teased on some studies. Uh and I don't want to 364 00:22:23,240 --> 00:22:24,800 Speaker 1: say I made fun of them, but they're they're just 365 00:22:25,240 --> 00:22:27,640 Speaker 1: I think you pointed out some of their inherent flaw. 366 00:22:28,280 --> 00:22:32,240 Speaker 1: So let's talk about them. Um. Here is one where 367 00:22:32,280 --> 00:22:37,919 Speaker 1: they had subjects read about different things. One was a 368 00:22:37,960 --> 00:22:42,160 Speaker 1: tsunami disaster, one was like one bad thing, two good things. 369 00:22:42,520 --> 00:22:45,240 Speaker 1: One was a disaster, one was the successful landing of 370 00:22:45,240 --> 00:22:47,359 Speaker 1: a space pro another one was the birth of a 371 00:22:47,400 --> 00:22:50,000 Speaker 1: polar bear in a zoo, which I mean depending on 372 00:22:50,280 --> 00:22:52,119 Speaker 1: like that right there, you might hate polar bears, you 373 00:22:52,200 --> 00:22:56,280 Speaker 1: might hate zoos. You know, it's a good point. Uh yeah, 374 00:22:56,320 --> 00:22:58,600 Speaker 1: it's a real good point. They probably shouldn't use that. 375 00:22:59,000 --> 00:23:02,639 Speaker 1: And it's a problem with any kind of standardized questionnaire, 376 00:23:02,680 --> 00:23:06,640 Speaker 1: whether it's the S A T or the Standardized Questionnaire 377 00:23:06,640 --> 00:23:10,760 Speaker 1: for nostalgia totally. Uh So, after reading these they answered 378 00:23:10,800 --> 00:23:14,200 Speaker 1: questions assessing their current levels of nostalgia. What they found 379 00:23:14,320 --> 00:23:17,040 Speaker 1: was the people who read about the tsunami, we're the 380 00:23:17,080 --> 00:23:22,200 Speaker 1: most nostalgic, which led them to believe that people call 381 00:23:22,359 --> 00:23:26,120 Speaker 1: upon nostalgia when they're not feeling good about something right, 382 00:23:26,119 --> 00:23:29,520 Speaker 1: and that use it. That is the prevailing predominant theory 383 00:23:29,960 --> 00:23:34,600 Speaker 1: of nostalgia these days, that it is a um It 384 00:23:34,760 --> 00:23:37,920 Speaker 1: is you can do it voluntarily, but it's basically an 385 00:23:37,920 --> 00:23:43,840 Speaker 1: involuntary defense mechanism when we experience what's called discontinuity, and 386 00:23:43,920 --> 00:23:46,800 Speaker 1: discontinuity comes in many forms, but all of it amounts 387 00:23:46,800 --> 00:23:50,640 Speaker 1: to a reminder that we are going to eventually die 388 00:23:50,720 --> 00:23:54,880 Speaker 1: one day, and that thought can come in all sorts 389 00:23:54,920 --> 00:23:57,919 Speaker 1: of different forms. It can come when we have a 390 00:23:57,960 --> 00:24:01,440 Speaker 1: relationship that's breaking down, when we're far away from our 391 00:24:01,480 --> 00:24:04,960 Speaker 1: social network. We there are any number of ways that 392 00:24:05,000 --> 00:24:08,119 Speaker 1: were reminded of our own mortality, right, and one of 393 00:24:08,160 --> 00:24:12,280 Speaker 1: our big defense mechanisms is growing nostalgic. And uh, it's 394 00:24:12,320 --> 00:24:17,399 Speaker 1: basically built in suicide prevention because it makes you wonder, like, 395 00:24:17,440 --> 00:24:19,520 Speaker 1: if we didn't have a way to get back on track, 396 00:24:20,760 --> 00:24:26,520 Speaker 1: like through nostalgia, and you just like entered a period 397 00:24:26,560 --> 00:24:31,080 Speaker 1: of discontinuity and never got back to you know, life's 398 00:24:31,080 --> 00:24:34,040 Speaker 1: good again, where would we be as a species? Who knows? 399 00:24:34,320 --> 00:24:37,240 Speaker 1: So nostalgia seems to be some sort of evolutionary trick 400 00:24:37,359 --> 00:24:40,280 Speaker 1: where um, when we look into the void and think, 401 00:24:40,320 --> 00:24:42,640 Speaker 1: oh God, I'm gonna die or my life is meaningless 402 00:24:42,720 --> 00:24:46,880 Speaker 1: or whatever, we experienced nostalgia and it has this incredible 403 00:24:46,920 --> 00:24:52,640 Speaker 1: flood of beneficial um effects on the person who's feeling nostalgic. 404 00:24:53,119 --> 00:24:55,439 Speaker 1: I thought this one article was pretty great. When they 405 00:24:55,440 --> 00:25:00,360 Speaker 1: were talking about discontinuity, they referenced Sweet Jude de Blue 406 00:25:00,400 --> 00:25:05,040 Speaker 1: Eyes by Crosby Stills Nash and I think young right, Like, 407 00:25:05,119 --> 00:25:08,159 Speaker 1: I know, you know the song very popular? Can you 408 00:25:08,200 --> 00:25:11,360 Speaker 1: sing it like an urban dance squad song? Come on, 409 00:25:11,640 --> 00:25:15,280 Speaker 1: you know, sweet? I don't If you have heard any 410 00:25:15,320 --> 00:25:18,800 Speaker 1: Crosby Steals in Nash song, you've heard this one. It's 411 00:25:18,920 --> 00:25:24,200 Speaker 1: very very famous. I'm thinking Bob Seeger right now? Is it? 412 00:25:24,600 --> 00:25:26,560 Speaker 1: Is it? The Bob Seger song is what you mean? 413 00:25:27,680 --> 00:25:30,399 Speaker 1: But here's a line by Steven Stills, don't let the 414 00:25:30,440 --> 00:25:34,520 Speaker 1: past remind us of what we are not now right. 415 00:25:34,600 --> 00:25:37,399 Speaker 1: That's again Hodgman's criticis Hodgman is not alone in his 416 00:25:37,480 --> 00:25:43,720 Speaker 1: criticism that that it seems like, uh, nostalgia could lead 417 00:25:43,760 --> 00:25:46,600 Speaker 1: you down this road where you're You're just like, oh, 418 00:25:46,680 --> 00:25:49,159 Speaker 1: the past is so much better than the present. But 419 00:25:49,280 --> 00:25:52,560 Speaker 1: apparently from study of nostalgia, it does the exact opposite. 420 00:25:52,760 --> 00:25:55,600 Speaker 1: It affirms the meaning of your life. It reminds you 421 00:25:55,680 --> 00:25:59,600 Speaker 1: that you are loved um, now here and now, and 422 00:25:59,800 --> 00:26:02,920 Speaker 1: it get you back on track after um an experience 423 00:26:02,960 --> 00:26:06,320 Speaker 1: of discontinuity, which is bizarre. I'm gonna sing a little 424 00:26:06,359 --> 00:26:10,560 Speaker 1: bit of it, Okay, you know, Uh I am yours, 425 00:26:11,000 --> 00:26:15,040 Speaker 1: you are mine, We are what we are? What have 426 00:26:15,160 --> 00:26:18,800 Speaker 1: we got to lose? That's that song I got you? 427 00:26:19,320 --> 00:26:21,840 Speaker 1: That's so yeah. See, it's a great song. That's better 428 00:26:21,920 --> 00:26:24,199 Speaker 1: than the Bob Seekers song. I think there is no 429 00:26:24,200 --> 00:26:29,240 Speaker 1: good Bob Seeker song that's not true. Name one uh 430 00:26:29,359 --> 00:26:32,280 Speaker 1: all time rock and roll, no terrible, worst song ever 431 00:26:32,440 --> 00:26:35,520 Speaker 1: turned the page awful like a rock awful catman, Do 432 00:26:35,840 --> 00:26:38,960 Speaker 1: kill Me. There's one though, that's not bad. I think 433 00:26:38,960 --> 00:26:41,359 Speaker 1: we've had this conversation before. I think I've been on 434 00:26:41,440 --> 00:26:44,240 Speaker 1: record as being a big Bob Seeker hater. I'm not 435 00:26:44,280 --> 00:26:46,439 Speaker 1: big on him either, but there's there's at least one 436 00:26:46,560 --> 00:26:48,439 Speaker 1: or two. Oh you'd love him. You want to get 437 00:26:48,520 --> 00:26:51,720 Speaker 1: you want to get married to him? All right, it's 438 00:26:51,840 --> 00:26:57,360 Speaker 1: enough about me and Bob Seger. Yeah, see he got uncomfortable. Um, 439 00:26:57,440 --> 00:27:01,080 Speaker 1: so I'm having a moment of dis kind nuity. Yeah. 440 00:27:01,119 --> 00:27:04,560 Speaker 1: We were talking about the studies, right, Well. I think 441 00:27:04,600 --> 00:27:06,679 Speaker 1: what we were saying was that if you look at 442 00:27:06,680 --> 00:27:10,200 Speaker 1: nostalgia from the way that Hodgeman looks at it, which 443 00:27:10,280 --> 00:27:13,080 Speaker 1: makes sense, um, you would think, well, nostalgia is a 444 00:27:13,119 --> 00:27:17,119 Speaker 1: bad thing, when in fact, studies have shown that nostalgia 445 00:27:17,119 --> 00:27:19,359 Speaker 1: actually gets you back on track when you're feeling like, 446 00:27:19,400 --> 00:27:21,640 Speaker 1: oh God, I'm gonna die one day, or oh I'm 447 00:27:21,720 --> 00:27:25,720 Speaker 1: not loved or whatever. Rather than getting stuck in reminiscing 448 00:27:25,760 --> 00:27:28,199 Speaker 1: about how great the past was compared to the present, 449 00:27:28,480 --> 00:27:32,919 Speaker 1: it reaffirms that the present is pretty great. Yeah, they said, uh, 450 00:27:32,960 --> 00:27:35,719 Speaker 1: and we always say they like it's sort of an 451 00:27:35,720 --> 00:27:38,840 Speaker 1: ambiguous body of sometimes we get called up by people 452 00:27:38,880 --> 00:27:44,320 Speaker 1: who are paying attention. The researchers of nostalgia say they 453 00:27:44,320 --> 00:27:48,080 Speaker 1: that UM positive mental states include UM higher self esteem, 454 00:27:48,480 --> 00:27:54,240 Speaker 1: more socially connected, more generous, more altruistic or optimistic, worry 455 00:27:54,320 --> 00:27:57,639 Speaker 1: less about the future and death and good and that 456 00:27:57,680 --> 00:27:59,879 Speaker 1: makes it a part of terror management theory, which we 457 00:28:00,040 --> 00:28:03,280 Speaker 1: actually did a really cool episode one. It was one 458 00:28:03,320 --> 00:28:05,520 Speaker 1: of those sleepers you know that probably not a lot 459 00:28:05,600 --> 00:28:08,320 Speaker 1: of people listened to, but it was awesome. Yeah. And 460 00:28:08,720 --> 00:28:11,199 Speaker 1: they did some other studies and this to me is 461 00:28:11,440 --> 00:28:16,800 Speaker 1: really interesting. UM in China, uh was one study and 462 00:28:16,920 --> 00:28:23,800 Speaker 1: elsewhere they have determined that nostalgic feelings might literally make 463 00:28:23,840 --> 00:28:29,480 Speaker 1: you warmer, right, like physically warmer. And when I said, 464 00:28:29,520 --> 00:28:31,920 Speaker 1: the warm thing watches over you. They think it might 465 00:28:31,920 --> 00:28:34,760 Speaker 1: have played a role in evolution, like when you're colder 466 00:28:35,000 --> 00:28:37,800 Speaker 1: and you think of these thoughts, you get warmer. Yeah. 467 00:28:38,080 --> 00:28:41,920 Speaker 1: From the study in China, UM they found that the 468 00:28:42,280 --> 00:28:48,960 Speaker 1: study participants were when they were cold and they were nostalgizing, 469 00:28:49,680 --> 00:28:53,440 Speaker 1: they were imagining themselves or they were remembering an experience 470 00:28:53,480 --> 00:28:57,080 Speaker 1: in a warm place, and apparently it had the effect 471 00:28:57,120 --> 00:29:01,400 Speaker 1: of making them feel physically warmer and less susceptible to 472 00:29:01,760 --> 00:29:04,600 Speaker 1: the pain of extreme cold. And another study to head 473 00:29:04,680 --> 00:29:08,320 Speaker 1: nostalgic and non nostalgic subjects hold their hands in thirty 474 00:29:08,400 --> 00:29:11,360 Speaker 1: nine degree fahrenheit water until they couldn't take it anymore, 475 00:29:11,920 --> 00:29:14,560 Speaker 1: and if you were feeling nostalgic, you could hold your 476 00:29:14,600 --> 00:29:18,360 Speaker 1: hand in there longer. So that proves that it warms 477 00:29:18,400 --> 00:29:21,520 Speaker 1: you up right right, not really, but it's interesting, it 478 00:29:21,680 --> 00:29:24,720 Speaker 1: is interesting. All of this is pretty interesting, and there 479 00:29:24,800 --> 00:29:28,040 Speaker 1: is there is supposedly a point where nostalgia can become 480 00:29:28,080 --> 00:29:32,320 Speaker 1: harmful too. It's called pathological nostalgia, um where you basically 481 00:29:32,400 --> 00:29:34,840 Speaker 1: do get locked into the idea that everything used to 482 00:29:34,920 --> 00:29:37,080 Speaker 1: be better back in the day or whenever at some 483 00:29:37,200 --> 00:29:43,640 Speaker 1: other point. But it's um rare compared to regular what's 484 00:29:43,640 --> 00:29:47,080 Speaker 1: called personal nostalgia, which is all the nostalgia we've been 485 00:29:47,120 --> 00:29:50,960 Speaker 1: talking about. And then there's the social nostalgia too, right 486 00:29:51,800 --> 00:29:55,040 Speaker 1: like when you didn't even live through it. Yeah, where um, 487 00:29:55,080 --> 00:29:58,320 Speaker 1: you know, like seventeen year old today wearing like a 488 00:29:58,400 --> 00:30:01,240 Speaker 1: Nirvana T shirt or a Fits T shirt or something 489 00:30:01,280 --> 00:30:03,720 Speaker 1: like that, or being into that music or thinking like 490 00:30:03,760 --> 00:30:07,080 Speaker 1: how great the nineties were, and it's like dude, we 491 00:30:07,120 --> 00:30:09,200 Speaker 1: lived through the nineties. They were not great. But it's 492 00:30:09,200 --> 00:30:11,880 Speaker 1: the same thing, like I love eighties stuff. I lived 493 00:30:11,880 --> 00:30:15,080 Speaker 1: through the eighties, but um, I remember thinking the eighties sucked, 494 00:30:15,520 --> 00:30:17,640 Speaker 1: and then you know, as an older person, when the 495 00:30:17,640 --> 00:30:20,520 Speaker 1: eighties came back, I'm like, yeah, the eighties were pretty fun. Yeah. 496 00:30:20,520 --> 00:30:22,680 Speaker 1: I think that's kind of a company sometimes too, by 497 00:30:22,720 --> 00:30:26,080 Speaker 1: this feeling of like I was born in the wrong time, Like, man, 498 00:30:26,160 --> 00:30:28,080 Speaker 1: I would have been a great hippie in the sixties, 499 00:30:28,520 --> 00:30:31,840 Speaker 1: and I just don't fit in here in the nineties. Sure, Like, personally, 500 00:30:31,960 --> 00:30:34,480 Speaker 1: I think the seventies were probably the greatest decade of 501 00:30:34,520 --> 00:30:38,160 Speaker 1: all time. But that's ignoring the fact that like Richard 502 00:30:38,240 --> 00:30:40,880 Speaker 1: Nixon was president, there was an oil embargo, There's all 503 00:30:40,920 --> 00:30:44,280 Speaker 1: this bad stuff, whereas I'm just thinking like days and 504 00:30:44,280 --> 00:30:47,320 Speaker 1: confused type seventies where everything was just great and happy 505 00:30:47,400 --> 00:30:51,760 Speaker 1: and you know, and laid back, and that's nostalgia. It 506 00:30:51,840 --> 00:30:55,560 Speaker 1: washes out the negative for everyone. But you Yeah, I 507 00:30:55,560 --> 00:30:58,080 Speaker 1: would say Richard Lincoln Better is one of the more 508 00:30:58,160 --> 00:31:01,880 Speaker 1: nostalgic filmmakers out there. He plays on that. Yeah, supposedly, 509 00:31:01,920 --> 00:31:05,320 Speaker 1: his new movie that's coming out is be Awesome. Everybody 510 00:31:05,320 --> 00:31:07,640 Speaker 1: wants some is that what it is? So it's like 511 00:31:07,720 --> 00:31:10,160 Speaker 1: Days and Confused, like four or five years later, right, Yeah, 512 00:31:10,200 --> 00:31:13,560 Speaker 1: he said, it's sort of like a spiritual sequel, like 513 00:31:13,720 --> 00:31:17,000 Speaker 1: not the same characters, but um, just sort of nineteen 514 00:31:17,080 --> 00:31:20,719 Speaker 1: eighty that advent of when things were transferring to disco 515 00:31:20,880 --> 00:31:23,600 Speaker 1: from Yeah, it's gonna be awesome. He's the best. That 516 00:31:23,680 --> 00:31:27,480 Speaker 1: was a great movie. Dased and Confused agreed. Um. So 517 00:31:27,760 --> 00:31:32,280 Speaker 1: the other thing that they found is that they did 518 00:31:32,280 --> 00:31:34,960 Speaker 1: a study. Clay Routledge of North Dakota State did a 519 00:31:35,040 --> 00:31:38,160 Speaker 1: study there there. Specifically they with a name. Yeah, a 520 00:31:38,200 --> 00:31:41,800 Speaker 1: real guy, so complained to him. Uh. He did a 521 00:31:41,840 --> 00:31:44,360 Speaker 1: series of experiments with English, Dutch, and American adults, so 522 00:31:44,400 --> 00:31:47,080 Speaker 1: he kind of had some different nationalities going on. It's 523 00:31:47,080 --> 00:31:50,720 Speaker 1: not exclusively American, of course. He let them listen to 524 00:31:50,800 --> 00:31:54,320 Speaker 1: hit songs from their youth and read lyrics, and afterwards 525 00:31:54,320 --> 00:31:57,960 Speaker 1: people said, uh, they were more than likely to feel 526 00:31:58,000 --> 00:32:01,640 Speaker 1: loved and that life was worth living. Some more affirmation 527 00:32:02,280 --> 00:32:06,480 Speaker 1: when they remember these good old days. Question do you 528 00:32:06,520 --> 00:32:10,000 Speaker 1: feel life is worth living? Check yes or no? Uh? 529 00:32:10,040 --> 00:32:13,240 Speaker 1: And finally I got one more thing. Um, they say, well, 530 00:32:13,280 --> 00:32:15,880 Speaker 1: they do recommend that you not fall into that trap 531 00:32:16,080 --> 00:32:19,720 Speaker 1: of pathological and yeah, of comparing the present to the 532 00:32:19,720 --> 00:32:23,040 Speaker 1: past so much. Uh. And they also found that certain 533 00:32:23,120 --> 00:32:26,600 Speaker 1: kinds of people aren't as great with nostalgia, So maybe 534 00:32:26,600 --> 00:32:29,720 Speaker 1: you should not indulge in nostalgia if your leery of 535 00:32:29,760 --> 00:32:34,720 Speaker 1: intimate relationships, they found, or you're an avoidant person, says 536 00:32:34,720 --> 00:32:38,600 Speaker 1: they have reap smaller benefits from nostalgia compared with people 537 00:32:38,600 --> 00:32:42,080 Speaker 1: who crave closeness. So I don't know what that says 538 00:32:42,080 --> 00:32:46,200 Speaker 1: about hand, but let's throw that out there. So, uh, 539 00:32:46,520 --> 00:32:48,800 Speaker 1: what's your number one nostalgia thing? What gets it for 540 00:32:48,880 --> 00:32:53,040 Speaker 1: you more than anything else? Probably music? I got two 541 00:32:53,120 --> 00:32:56,959 Speaker 1: things are tied for first. The smell of a used 542 00:32:57,200 --> 00:33:00,719 Speaker 1: bookstore or comic book shop. That's mel of like that, 543 00:33:01,320 --> 00:33:06,200 Speaker 1: I guess rotting paper. It reminds me of Mad magazines 544 00:33:06,800 --> 00:33:09,680 Speaker 1: from back in the day. And they love them. The 545 00:33:09,720 --> 00:33:13,640 Speaker 1: fat Christmas lights. Oh yeah, the big I could just 546 00:33:13,720 --> 00:33:16,160 Speaker 1: faint from the nostalgia. Yeah, they're like they were the 547 00:33:16,160 --> 00:33:18,880 Speaker 1: big Tachi ones that are coming back now. That's all 548 00:33:18,880 --> 00:33:21,080 Speaker 1: my family ever used was the big fat ones. It 549 00:33:21,200 --> 00:33:23,400 Speaker 1: was like more Christmas light. You know, you call those 550 00:33:23,600 --> 00:33:27,640 Speaker 1: tree burners. Yeah, yeah, we never caught a tree on fire, 551 00:33:27,720 --> 00:33:29,800 Speaker 1: but yeah, they get pretty hot. You know what my 552 00:33:29,880 --> 00:33:32,320 Speaker 1: dad did for a few years as we were opening 553 00:33:32,320 --> 00:33:37,200 Speaker 1: our gifts. Towards the end, he would start dismantling the 554 00:33:37,280 --> 00:33:40,800 Speaker 1: tree and pruning the limbs and putting him in the fireplace. 555 00:33:40,840 --> 00:33:44,200 Speaker 1: He would literally burn the Christmas tree on Christmas Morning's 556 00:33:44,280 --> 00:33:48,520 Speaker 1: here he Uh wow, that's very efficient, was he Germans? 557 00:33:48,480 --> 00:33:52,360 Speaker 1: Why do we look at it? Uh No? Uh, I 558 00:33:52,360 --> 00:33:55,080 Speaker 1: should say is he? He is not? And I wish 559 00:33:55,120 --> 00:33:58,840 Speaker 1: I would have given you a specific nostalgic thing, but um, 560 00:33:58,920 --> 00:34:02,720 Speaker 1: you did urban dance. Uh No, just music in general taste, 561 00:34:02,800 --> 00:34:06,760 Speaker 1: smell music got you nice. Put those three together and 562 00:34:06,920 --> 00:34:10,960 Speaker 1: look out. Chuck's eyes roll back into his head and 563 00:34:11,040 --> 00:34:15,080 Speaker 1: Hodgeman claps over him and says, get up. Uh. If 564 00:34:15,080 --> 00:34:17,080 Speaker 1: you want to know more about nostalgy, you can type 565 00:34:17,120 --> 00:34:19,520 Speaker 1: that word into search bar how stuff works dot com, 566 00:34:19,600 --> 00:34:22,080 Speaker 1: And I said, search bars, it's time for listener mail. 567 00:34:24,719 --> 00:34:27,440 Speaker 1: This is from Christina about the makeup episode. He points 568 00:34:27,440 --> 00:34:30,400 Speaker 1: out some good things. I think, Hey, guys have to 569 00:34:30,440 --> 00:34:33,000 Speaker 1: weigh in on how makeup works. I think you failed 570 00:34:33,040 --> 00:34:36,640 Speaker 1: to adequately acknowledge something. Uh. We are not, in fact 571 00:34:36,760 --> 00:34:40,480 Speaker 1: at a stage where makeup is truly optional for women 572 00:34:41,760 --> 00:34:45,799 Speaker 1: and I think we said that basically, did we Yeah, 573 00:34:45,920 --> 00:34:49,759 Speaker 1: at the end, well, I think we said, like it 574 00:34:49,800 --> 00:34:51,680 Speaker 1: should be your option, but I think she doesn't feel 575 00:34:51,680 --> 00:34:53,719 Speaker 1: like it truly is an option, right, No, we said that. 576 00:34:53,800 --> 00:34:56,440 Speaker 1: We said, like the the very fact that there was, like, 577 00:34:56,640 --> 00:35:00,120 Speaker 1: you know, taking a picture of yourself and posting on 578 00:35:00,160 --> 00:35:04,359 Speaker 1: Twitter without makeup was rebellious. Says that it's still not 579 00:35:04,440 --> 00:35:08,600 Speaker 1: really an option. We said that, all right, So forget it, Christina, 580 00:35:08,680 --> 00:35:11,439 Speaker 1: We're not reading now, We're gonna read it. While many 581 00:35:11,480 --> 00:35:13,920 Speaker 1: love wearing makeup, many women simply feel obliged to wear 582 00:35:13,920 --> 00:35:16,480 Speaker 1: it and are in fact penalized if they choose not to, 583 00:35:17,200 --> 00:35:19,680 Speaker 1: comes in the form of failing to be promoted maybe 584 00:35:19,800 --> 00:35:22,800 Speaker 1: or taking seriously getting raises, even being hired. It is 585 00:35:22,840 --> 00:35:25,520 Speaker 1: a hugely expensive habit too, especially if you like to 586 00:35:25,520 --> 00:35:30,239 Speaker 1: buy the prestige makeup brands. Yeah, so she recommended to 587 00:35:30,280 --> 00:35:32,880 Speaker 1: people read an article from The Atlantic, which is always 588 00:35:32,880 --> 00:35:36,120 Speaker 1: a good recommendation, called the makeup Tax, and it kind 589 00:35:36,120 --> 00:35:38,719 Speaker 1: of sums up the problem like this, women invest time 590 00:35:38,719 --> 00:35:40,680 Speaker 1: and money into doing the makeup because it impacts their 591 00:35:40,680 --> 00:35:44,040 Speaker 1: relationships and their paychecks. While both genders tend to buy 592 00:35:44,040 --> 00:35:46,960 Speaker 1: haircut shaving cream and moisturizer. The price of makeup is 593 00:35:47,000 --> 00:35:50,279 Speaker 1: something men never have to worry about. And then she 594 00:35:50,360 --> 00:35:53,320 Speaker 1: goes on to point on point out just how expensive 595 00:35:54,800 --> 00:35:57,800 Speaker 1: the gap is between like a man's haircut, no woman's 596 00:35:57,800 --> 00:36:01,759 Speaker 1: hair cut even you know, yeah, oh it's huge. It 597 00:36:01,800 --> 00:36:03,759 Speaker 1: depends on where you go. Yeah, but I mean if 598 00:36:03,800 --> 00:36:07,799 Speaker 1: you're a woman that goes to a like a you know, 599 00:36:07,880 --> 00:36:10,400 Speaker 1: not super cuts, right, it depends on where the man 600 00:36:10,480 --> 00:36:12,239 Speaker 1: goes though too. If you go to a salon and 601 00:36:12,239 --> 00:36:14,200 Speaker 1: you get like a cut in color as a woman, 602 00:36:14,239 --> 00:36:16,880 Speaker 1: you're paying like several hundred dollars. But that's the color 603 00:36:16,960 --> 00:36:20,879 Speaker 1: jack both. I don't mean to be contrary. That's yes, 604 00:36:21,000 --> 00:36:24,919 Speaker 1: I agree that they pay a lot more money. Christina. Yeah, 605 00:36:24,920 --> 00:36:28,560 Speaker 1: I go to Great Clips. Big shout out to Great Clips. 606 00:36:29,080 --> 00:36:32,640 Speaker 1: There's a free cut in your future. So Christina says, yeah, 607 00:36:32,680 --> 00:36:35,880 Speaker 1: after my tenth cut, if you have the card, no, 608 00:36:36,040 --> 00:36:38,120 Speaker 1: not a card, but they give you your receipt every 609 00:36:38,120 --> 00:36:42,399 Speaker 1: now and then it says off your fat collar cut, 610 00:36:43,000 --> 00:36:45,239 Speaker 1: which amounts to eight dollars. It's actually one than it's 611 00:36:45,239 --> 00:36:48,400 Speaker 1: like fourteen or fifteen. But remember in tipping it's fourteen. 612 00:36:48,400 --> 00:36:51,359 Speaker 1: I give them twenty and you were like what Oh, yeah, 613 00:36:51,360 --> 00:36:55,120 Speaker 1: that's right, that's right. Uh so Christine me all over again. 614 00:36:55,600 --> 00:36:57,319 Speaker 1: She finishes up with I look forward to a day 615 00:36:57,320 --> 00:37:00,600 Speaker 1: when wearing makeup is really truly a choice anyone of 616 00:37:00,600 --> 00:37:04,840 Speaker 1: any gender in both individuals and institutions respect those choices. 617 00:37:04,920 --> 00:37:07,319 Speaker 1: In the meantime, I choose to save my pennies and 618 00:37:07,400 --> 00:37:10,719 Speaker 1: stick it to the man by not buying makeup and 619 00:37:10,800 --> 00:37:14,600 Speaker 1: normalizing my own bear face. Good for you. Uh. And 620 00:37:14,719 --> 00:37:19,480 Speaker 1: Christina is a California native listening in Dublin, Ireland. Ahoy, 621 00:37:19,840 --> 00:37:24,200 Speaker 1: as they say in Ireland, is yeah, all right, we'll 622 00:37:24,239 --> 00:37:28,200 Speaker 1: find out. I think, I hope. Uh, thanks a lot, Christina, 623 00:37:28,440 --> 00:37:31,360 Speaker 1: all points agreed. Uh. If you want to get in 624 00:37:31,400 --> 00:37:34,360 Speaker 1: touch with us like Christina did, whether you're in Dublin 625 00:37:34,640 --> 00:37:38,640 Speaker 1: or Los Angeles or wherever, you can tweet to us 626 00:37:38,640 --> 00:37:41,160 Speaker 1: at s y ESK podcast. You can join us on 627 00:37:41,200 --> 00:37:43,680 Speaker 1: Facebook dot com, slash stuff you Should Know. You can 628 00:37:43,719 --> 00:37:46,120 Speaker 1: send us an email to Stuff Podcast at how stuff 629 00:37:46,160 --> 00:37:48,600 Speaker 1: Works dot com, and as always, join us at our 630 00:37:48,640 --> 00:37:56,600 Speaker 1: home on the web, Stuff you Should Know dot com 631 00:37:56,640 --> 00:37:59,080 Speaker 1: For more on this and thousands of other topics. Does 632 00:37:59,080 --> 00:38:07,600 Speaker 1: it how stuff Works Com