The trick to long-lasting friendships, it turns out, may be nostalgia. According to a new study in Cognition and Emotion, people who think more about the past tend to have more friends, and it may be because they are more motivated to maintain their friendships over time.
“People who feel nostalgic more often and value those memories are more aware of their important relationships and the need to nurture them,” said Kuan-Ju Huang, a study author and a psychology graduate student at Kyoto University, according to a press release. “This means [their] friendships may be more likely to last, even as [they] get older.”
According to Huang, long-lasting friendships improve our overall well-being, helping us live happy and healthy lives. If nostalgia plays a part in maintaining those friendships, then it may be best to live a little in the past, at least from time to time.
Studies show that ...
