Annotated Bibliography

Burton, Neel. "The Meaning of Nostalgia." Psychology Today. N.p., 26 Nov. 2014. Web. 26 Sept. 2016. This article describes the basics of what is known about nostalgia. ‘Nostalgia’ is a term that was coined in 1688 by Swiss medical student, Johannes Hofer, from the Greek nóstos (homecoming) and álgos (pain, ache). Hofer coined ‘nostalgia’ to refer to the homesickness of Swiss mercenaries fighting in foreign lands. During this time nostalgia was still considered to be a brain disorder. Today, nostalgia is no longer looked upon as a mental disorder, but as a common emotion. Neel Burton writes that nostalgia is “a vehicle for travelling beyond the deadening confines of time and space”. Nostalgia is believed to help reassure us that our lives are rooted in narrative and that there have-and once again will be- meaningful moments and experiences. Burton goes on to write about the fact that nostalgia has negative attributes as well. Nostalgia is believed to be another form of self deception since the past is often remembered as being better than it actually was. This can cause people to make the same mistakes over and over again due to an altered perception of what actually occurred.

Friedman, Lauren. "Why Nostalgia Marketing Work So Well With Millennials, And How Your Brand Can Benefit." Forbes. Forbes Magazine, 2 Aug. 2016. Web. 26 Sept. 2016. In this article, Friedman explores the correlation between marketing through nostalgia and marketing to millennials. Friedman believes that marketing through fond memories works especially well on millennials because millennials live in an impersonal age of technology and computers. By associating products with happy memories from the past, marketers can humanizes the brand and forge a connection between their product and the target audience.

Holmes, Lindsay. "The Incredible Powers Of Nostalgia." The Huffington Post. The Huffington Post, 5 Oct. 2013. Web. 26 Sept. 2016. In this article, Jeanette Leardi discusses the "incredible powers" of nostalgia. She agrees the idea that nostalgia is a complex feeling that can either lift you up or drag you down and proposes the idea that you can manipulate how nostalgia affects you. In the section entitled "Making Nostalgia Work For You" she offers tips on how you can do just that. She encourages her audience to learn from past mistakes, engage in nostalgia with others, and create new memories.

"'I Will Never Be Here Again':The Psychology of Nostalgia." The Moral Communities Project. N.p., 06 June 2014. Web. 26 Sept. 2016. This article discusses the overall psychology of nostalgia and gives a brief history of how it was discovered. Originally nostalgia was seen as a brain disease that had symptoms such as anxiety, irregular heartbeat, anorexia, insomnia, and “smothering sensations”. In the 19th century there was a change in the conceptualization of nostalgia and it was no longer thought of as a brain disorder but rather a form a depression. This continued on until the 20th century where nostalgia developed into the concept it is known it to be today. From there the article goes on to state that it is now known that nostalgia is more like a coping mechanism than it is a disease and that it can have either positive or adverse effects.

Martin, Lauren. "The Science Behind Nostalgia And Why We're So Obsessed With The Past." Elite Daily. N.p., 06 Aug. 2015. Web. 26 Sept. 2016. In this article, Lauren Martin discusses the idea that people tend idealize the past just as they do the future. Researcher, Alan R. Hirsch, is quoted referencing to nostalgia. Hirsch says the memories people tend to have from the past are “ not a true recreation of the past, but rather a combination of many different memories, all integrated together, and in the process all negative emotions filtered out.” Hirsch doesn’t believe that nostalgia is related to memories at all, but rather that nostalgia relates to an emotional state. The article states that people put an emotional state within era, or a specific frame, and choose to idealize that specific time. Martin also writes about the effects of nostalgia on those with depression. For many years people who experienced a lot of nostalgia were thought to be depressed, however, since more research has been done, it is now believed that nostalgia may counteract depression. This is because when people speak fondly and lovingly of the past, they also tend to become more hopeful for the future.

Neese, Brian. "Rosy Retrospection: A Psychological Phenomenon." Southeastern University Rosy Retrospection A Look at the Psychological Phenomenon Comments. N.p., 23 Feb. 2016. Web. 26 Sept. 2016. In this article, Brian Neese discusses the concept of rosy retrospection. This is the idea that people tend to view past events as better than they actually were. The phrase rosy retrospection comes from the idiom “to see through rose colored glasses”. The article brings up an experiment that was done with people who had recently visited Disneyland. When asked about their experience shortly after leaving, nearly everyone said they were excited to visit the so called “happiest place on earth” but felt that the experience fell short due to large crowds and long lines. Afterwards, participants tended to remember the experience as better than they had originally said. Neese also brings up the fact that some people can do the very opposite and exaggerate all of the negative aspects of an event. He also touches base on the fact that rosy retrospection can have negative affects as it can make people more likely to make the same mistakes because they are remembering them as better than they actually were.

Olenski, Steve. "What Was Old Is New Again -- The Power of Nostalgia Marketing." Forbes. Forbes Magazine, 14 Aug. 2015. Web. 26 Sept. 2016. In this article, Steve Olenski, discusses the ways that pop culture has shaped marketing through nostalgia. Olenski brings up a phenomenon in which a hashtag that read "In The 90's I Thought" caused many different brands to try and capitalize off of the nostalgia. One example was Paramount Pictures which used the hashtag to advertise for the 90's film Wayne's World. The article goes on to discuss how marketers can use similar tactics to connect to their audience through nostalgia.

Sperb, Jason. "Spectors of Film: New Nostalgia Movies And Hollywood's Digital Transition." Jump Cut. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Sept. 2016. In this article, Jason Sperb discusses three 2011 Oscar nominated films that are based in some way on nostalgia, Hugo, Midnight in Paris, and The Artist. In a time where film is seen as a dying art, Sperb believes that many may find it ironic that many filmmakers have returned to the original simplicity of film making. Sperb believes that nostalgia is a way to combat the transition to the digital age of filmmaking. Sperb writes “Nostalgia for film in the age of digital cinema must be considered, at least in part, as an attempt (conscious or otherwise) to hide those destructive capitalistic tendencies underlying the digital transition within reassuring narratives of individual perseverance, industry tradition and technological inevitability”.

Taylor, Kate. "3 Ways Brands Are Marketing Nostalgia in the Age of Throwback Thursday." Entrepreneur. N.p., 13 Jan. 2015. Web. 29 Sept. 2016. In this article, Kate Taylor discusses the three main ways that brands have successfully marketed through nostalgia. The first tactic is making references to the 90's. Taylor believes that the 90's is the perfect time to reference right now because it is the most recent era that is just far enough away for people to feel nostalgic about. One of the many brands to do this marketing strategy is Coca-Cola with the reintroduction of the 90’s soda, Surge. The second tactic is entitled “organic forms of nostalgia”. This is the idea that marketing through nostalgia is done best when the marketers listen to what is going on in today’s culture and act on that. For example, Nickelodeon made notice of the fact that many people missed the shows that aired when they were children. This resulted in Nickelodeon bringing back 90’s cartoons. The third and final tactic is personalized nostalgia. With the many advances in technology it has become easier to make a more individualized approach to nostalgia. The best example of this is the interactive music video made by Arcade Fire for the song “The Wilderness Downtown”. Before the music video begins, viewers are prompted to enter the address of the home they grew up in. When the music video begins it incorporates footage from Google Maps of the viewers hometown, neighborhood, and house.

Tierney, John. "What Is Nostalgia Good For? Quite a Bit, Research Shows." The New York Times. The New York Times, 08 July 2013. Web. 26 Sept. 2016. In this article, John Tierney discusses the positive attributes of nostalgia. He writes about the experience of Dr. Sedikides whose own nostalgic feelings caused him to be falsely diagnosed with depression. However, Dr. Sedikides did not feel as though he was depressed. Instead he is quoted saying “Nostalgia made me feel that my life had roots and continuity. It made me feel good about myself and my relationships. It provided a texture to my life and gave me strength to move forward.” The article states that nostalgia is shown to counteract loneliness, boredom and anxiety. Dr. Sedikides believes in practicing “nostalgic repository” in times when he needs a psychological lift.. He then will try to focus on the memories and savor them without comparing them with anything else. While nostalgia is known to have negative aspects, Tierney believes that the good weighs out the bad. The article goes on to discuss the fact that nostalgia is a universal feeling and is something that makes people human. Dr. Hepper, a psychologist at the University of Surrey in England, writes “Nostalgia helps us deal with transitions. The young adults are just moving away from home and or starting their first jobs, so they fall back on memories of family Christmases, pets and friends in school.”