If you’ve been on Instagram at all in the last couple of weeks, you’ve probably seen a lot of army green bomber jackets, Snapchat filters, full glam makeup looks, and references to the Chainsmokers. That’s thanks to the “2026 is the new 2016” trend! These days, a lot of us are feeling nostalgic about 2016. That got me thinking about how nostalgia shows up in our lives, and how just like so many things in life, it can be positive or negative depending on the role we let it play. If you’re intrigued, look no further for a full breakdown!
The positives of nostalgia…
The obvious benefit of nostalgia is that it tends to be accompanied by a warm, fuzzy feeling. It can give us a sense of comfort by bringing us back to fond memories. Often, these memories are of simpler times. (I was still in high school for all of 2016–it was definitely a simpler time for me!). Maybe we had less responsibility, less stress, or fewer decisions to make. Regardless, mentally transporting ourselves back there, even if for a moment, might just be the reset we didn’t know we needed.
Something else to consider is that we often reflect fondly on simpler times because of who we were during those times. Maybe we felt freer or more connected to core parts of ourselves. Maybe we were better at prioritizing our passions or had more active social calendars. While we can’t exactly snap our fingers and go back there, maybe nostalgia is the brain’s way of reminding us that those cherished parts of ourselves still live within us. Maybe we’re being drawn to these past eras because those parts are yearning to come back out. And best of all, maybe we don’t need a time machine to access them. More to come on this later…
The negatives of nostalgia…
While sometimes the memories of simpler times feel cozy, other times they feel sad. We wish we could be those versions of ourselves again and live those versions of life again. We might miss people, relationships, chapters of life, etc. that we can’t get back in present day. Maybe we find ourselves looking back at old text messages, pictures, etc. or listening to old songs, that haunt us. When nostalgia starts to feel more like a form of self-torture, it’s doing us more harm than good.
As I’ve been saying from the beginning of this blog (see my post Which Philosophy Speaks the Truth?), peace lies in focusing on what we can control and not dwelling over what we can’t. Of course, we’re all allowed to miss simpler times and feel sad that they’re behind us. At the same time, provoking our own pain by staying perpetually stuck in those times isn’t going to bring us any closer to them. In fact, it might make us feel more disconnected than ever to the joy they once brought us.
What to do with it all…
As is true for so many other things, we can welcome nostalgia into our lives for as long as it has a positive effect on us. Once it stops, we can reflect to gain an understanding of what changed, and we can ultimately carry on, shifting our focus elsewhere.
To return to the idea that nostalgia can center on who we once were, quite possibly the most powerful and constructive effect that nostalgia can have on us is inspiring us to reconnect with our favorite parts of ourselves. In many cases, we don’t have to simply wish for those parts to return. We can make a conscious effort to channel them in the present. Ask yourself, “what would *insert era here* version of me do?” And go do it!
Your circumstances, relationships & friendships, job situation, etc. may currently look different than they did at the time you’re nostalgic about. However, there are probably more things than you realize that you can bring back…
Maybe it’s that passion project you started 10 years ago but abandoned. Even if you’re tighter on time than you were back then, you can still find pockets of time to prioritize it again. Maybe you used to have more fun in the forms of hobbies, going out with friends, etc. While you might have to put in a little more effort than you used to, you can still bring those things into your present. Maybe you just had higher standards in your relationships back then, and you know that’s something you need to bring back for your own wellbeing. Remind yourself how empowering it felt to have high standards, and let that empowering feeling inspire you to raise your current standards back to that level.
The bottom line…
Nostalgia is what you make it. What I hope comes out of this 2016 trend is a collective effort to bring back the parts of ourselves and our old lives that we miss. We certainly can’t bring all of it back, and it’s okay to miss the things we can’t. We just have to make an effort not to stay stuck in the missing indefinitely. After all, there are probably many things your 2026 self has that your 2016 self could only dream of! So, focus on all the good you have now, while bringing back any good from the past that you can. It’s the best way to turn nostalgia into a tool for good!
On one last note, while it may have been a stretch for the Chainsmokers and Halsey to declare that “we ain’t ever getting older”, maybe nostalgia, when leaned on constructively, can keep our spirits as young as ever!