For many years, experts associated nostalgia with psychological pain. But over the past decade or so, psychologists have changed their tune. As John Tierney explains in the NYT, research has shown nostalgia can actually be a good thing: It “has been shown to counteract loneliness, boredom and anxiety. It makes people more generous to strangers and more tolerant of outsiders. Couples feel closer and look happier when they’re sharing nostalgic memories. On cold days, or in cold rooms, people use nostalgia to literally feel warmer.” Now I don’t feel so bad about missing the old days when reading an article like this would make me feel more optimistic about the future.