Many people believe that the past was better than the present, a sentiment that has persisted across centuries and cultures. This phenomenon, often referred to as a decline narrative, is not new—writings from the time of Homer show that humans have long mythologized earlier eras as golden ages. Behavioral scientist Ze Hong of the University of Macau explains that this tendency is rooted in cognitive biases, particularly rosy retrospection, which leads individuals to recall past events with fondness while focusing on the negatives of the present. The combination of these biases creates a perception of gradual decline, even when objective measures suggest otherwise.
Research indicates that nostalgia often intensifies during periods of instability and change, serving as a coping mechanism. A 2025 study by researchers at Claremont Graduate University found that during the COVID-19 pandemic, nostalgia acted as a collective coping mechanism, helping people connect to a perceived simpler, more stable era. This nostalgia bump was strong enough to shift music-listening habits toward older songs and contributed to the resurgence of decades-old television shows like Friends. The study also noted that collective nostalgia reinforces group identity and fosters in-group cohesion, but it can heighten perceptions of external threats.
However, not all backward-looking sentiments are the same. Tim Wildschut, a professor of social and personality psychology at the University of Southampton in the U.K., distinguishes between nostalgia and what he terms declinism. Nostalgia, he says, is rooted in personal memories and promotes feelings of social connectedness, continuity, and optimism. It brings important people from our past to life and helps us feel closer to them. Declinism, on the other hand, involves an unrealistic glorification of the past combined with the belief that society is steadily getting worse. It is associated with grievance and pessimism rather than social connectedness and growth.
Wildschut's research highlights the contrasting effects of these two phenomena. While nostalgia is linked to improvements in social connectedness and openness to new innovations like artificial intelligence, declinism generates resistance to change. This distinction has important implications for how people navigate periods of rapid transformation, such as the current era of technological advancement, political polarization, and climate uncertainty. Understanding these psychological mechanisms can help individuals and societies better cope with change without falling into the trap of idealizing an unattainable past.
Politicians and leaders sometimes weaponize nostalgia to foster dissatisfaction with the present and promote a return to an idealized earlier era, according to the Claremont researchers. This can be a powerful tool for mobilizing support, but it also risks deepening divisions and hindering progress. The key, experts say, is to recognize the difference between healthy nostalgia that provides comfort and continuity, and declinism that breeds pessimism and resistance. By doing so, people can draw on the positive aspects of their past experiences while remaining open to the opportunities of the present and future.
