The song “Memory” by Barbra Streisand has lyrics that include:
Memory, all alone in the moonlight
I can dream at the old days
Life was beautiful then
I remember the time I knew what happiness was
Let the memory live again
To live in the past. Nostalgia. It may even be to relish the past. What is this feeling that is so pervasive, such an integral part of our humanity?
University of Miami academics explored the many facets of nostalgia and shared their thoughts on the matter.
What is nostalgia, and why do people often look back on the past more fondly than they experienced it at the time?
Nostalgia is an important emotion for people because it lets you edit the past and see it the way you would like to remember it. It is so strong because it can comprise a complex mix of different emotions—happiness and sadness, pleasure and pain.
- Karen Mathews, associate professor of art history in the College of Arts and Sciences
To me, nostalgia is a distilled and purified version of our lived experiences. Warm memories … and time … smooth or erase sharp edges and rough textures (that is to say, reality).
- Jill Deupi, Beaux Arts executive director and chief curator, director of the Lowe Art Museum
Nostalgia is an emotional yearning for the past, both on a personal and collective level. As an archives director, I see how nostalgia can help people make meaning of their life experiences. With the benefit of time and distance, we often remember the moments, relationships and traditions that brought us joy more vividly than the challenges we faced. At the same time, nostalgia can simplify or romanticize history, so it’s important to balance emotional connection with a critical understanding of the past.
- Amanda Moreno-Schroeder, Esperanza Bravo de Varona Chair and director of the Cuban Heritage Collection
How do memories from childhood and adolescence shape the feelings of nostalgia we experience later in life?
Memories from childhood can be really helpful in managing stress in the present. They can take you back to a simpler time, one when you were unencumbered by the responsibilities and pressures of adult life. They can also provide a positive model for seeking out things that give us pleasure and satisfaction in our daily lives. You can remember something or someone you loved and you seek something similar to achieve that same feeling.
- Karen Mathews
Because our early years are our most formative years, the experiences of youth play a huge role in nostalgia. Who doesn’t still remember, with a bittersweet pang of longing for an unreachable past, the feel of a favorite stuffed animal’s fur, the smell of a loved one’s cologne or perfume, the taste of a special dish cooked just so by your grandmother, the sight of a unique vista that was once so familiar, the sound of a creaky floor or squeaky door in a home you once loved.
- Jill Deupi
Our earliest memories are foundational to our identities. Cultural touchstones like music, food, language and meaningful places become lasting markers of who we are. They can also unite communities, especially those shaped by migration and exile, as in the Cuban experience.
- Amanda Moreno-Schroeder
Can nostalgia have positive effects on mental health, such as reducing stress or increasing feelings of connection and belonging?
I am not a mental health expert so cannot speak with authority on the benefits of nostalgia. What I can say, as someone who has worked in art museums for three decades, is that visiting such institutions has been shown to positively impact one’s sense of community and connection, which in turn instills an enhanced sense of well-being. It is also not uncommon for art museums themselves to trigger nostalgia since our galleries are filled with works that, rooted in meaningful human experience, often stir—whether directly or indirectly—profound memories. Then there is, of course, the very experience of visiting the museum itself, which may be a harbinger of nostalgic memories for some.
- Jill Deupi
Nostalgia can strengthen our sense of identity and belonging by connecting us to stories beyond our own. At the Cuban Heritage Collection, we often see visitors reconnect with family histories and broader cultural narratives through archival materials. Those experiences can be deeply grounding, reinforcing a shared sense of community. When paired with historical context, nostalgia can also encourage reflection, not just on what we’ve lost, but on how our communities have evolved and endured. Archives help us move beyond nostalgia by preserving the complexity of the past, allowing us to engage with history as it was lived rather than simply as it is remembered.
- Amanda Moreno-Schroeder
Can you think of a piece of art—a book, a painting, a song that has evoked nostalgia in either the creator or you? And why?
For me, all music is a stimulus for nostalgia—it is a memory place and a time machine. When I hear a song, it takes me back to the time when and the place where I heard it, the people I was with, the feelings that I experienced. Music is so potent and evocative in conjuring up past experiences, providing a touchstone in sound that connects to experiences involving all the senses.
- Karen Mathews
There are a few songs that transport me back—across time and place—to rural Pennsylvania, where my family lived on a farm when I was a child, surrounded by animals, playing in grain bins (don’t try this at home, kids), and mucking about in the dirt. Suzi Quatro and Chris Norman’s 1978 hit “Stumblin’ In” is one such song. As soon as the duo starts crooning, “Our love is alive, and so we begin …,” I can smell the hay, hear the oinking of pigs and feel the sun on my face. A spontaneous smile inevitably follows.
- Jill Deupi
Music is one of the strongest cultural connectors. Guantanamera evokes memories of Cuba while incorporating verses from José Martí’s poetry, creating a shared cultural anchor for generations of Cubans. For many, the song recalls home, family and tradition while serving as a lasting expression of Cuban identity.
- Amanda Moreno-Schroeder
How have social media, streaming services and the revival of past fashions, music and television shows contributed to today’s growing fascination with nostalgia?
I think that there are positive and negative aspects to nostalgia experienced through social media. We were clearly not as connected in the past and information was not as readily available. This connectivity gives people access to information and can inform them about the past. However, in our culture of oversharing, we run the risk of using other people’s memories as substitutes for our own, appropriating them so that they just become simulations. A better use of our communication culture is for all of us to be present in the here and now and make our own memories, ones that we can share now (on social media and elsewhere) and for generations to come.
- Karen Mathews
I think the impact has been two-fold. The tremendous amount of digital media with which we are all bombarded on a daily basis has, for many people, increased their yearning to experience—or return to—an analog world. That’s nostalgia in a very real way. Additionally, having access to a limitless amount of material from ages past has made it possible to reengage with nostalgic experiences on demand, by, for example, queuing up “Stumblin’ In” on a whim.
- Jill Deupi
Digital platforms have made history and culture more accessible than ever, creating opportunities for people to rediscover and share their personal and collective histories. They foster conversations across generations, help preserve family stories and cultural traditions, and strengthen connections to community and identity.
- Amanda Moreno-Schroeder
