Nostalgia, that feeling of melancholy and longing that originates the memory of some circumstance or a past happy stage, can be mitigated when we visit the places that positively marked us at some point in our lives. In fact, the results of a new study promoted by the National Foundation for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty – a British conservation institution – and the University of Surrey, in the United Kingdom, suggest that the simple fact of contemplating these enclaves and recovering those sensations favors a series of mental changes that result in our well-being .
The trial shows that when this occurs, there is a great deal of activity in the amygdala, an area of the brain that is related to the starting of the processes that regulate emotional responses. Moreover, according to this initiative, when it comes to nostalgia, the enclaves seem more relevant than the objects. Thus, in a statement from the aforementioned National Foundation, it is indicated that, for example, in the case of a wedding, the place where it took place carries a greater emotional load for the bride and groom than the ring or the date. “For the first time we have managed to show the different benefits that a physical space can bring us,” says neuroscientist Andy Myers, who has participated in this research.
Deep connection
To determine this, the experts examined the neuronal activity of a group of twenty volunteers using magnetic resonance imaging while examining photos of ten objects important to them and ten others of enclaves that were especially significant to them. “This technology allows us to explore automatic biological responses, and shows a link between people and places that is often difficult to describe in words. It is a very deep connection, ”says Myers in an interview with The Telegraph newspaper.
The perception of these important places not only caused a greater stimulation in the amygdala; It also activated the medial prefrontal cortex, which participates in decision-making and is related to certain memory processes and the ability to experience emotions.
In a larger piece of work, 2,000 people were asked how relevant those special places were to them. About two-thirds said they gave them feelings of calm and security, thus helping them to relax and escape from daily worries, and nine out of ten said they would deeply regret their loss. According to experts, more than 80% of the study participants described these areas as a fundamental part of themselves, and more than half considered them, in fact, theirs. Likewise, the majority said that they found it very important to share them with their relatives.
For her part, the conservative Nino Strachey, who directs the studies of the National Foundation, also indicates in The Telegraph that this research confirms that the places we appreciate not only shape who we are, but also provide important physical and psychological benefits , which makes its protection especially relevant.
Referencia: Places that makes us. Research report. National Trust.
