The Pleasure And Sadness Of Being Human

As we get older, we spend more time looking backward. We reflect on all those happy days in our past, reminiscing about days of warmth, laughter, security, and love.

Our memory is a funny old thing. It is not some photographic record, but rather it selects, exaggerates, and warps everything. Our peaks and troughs, our highs and lows, come looming out from the great fog of time.

Nostalgia is a peculiar feeling — slippery and, in many ways, indefinable — but it’s a key aspect of being human. According to new research, it might even make being human a bit easier, as well.