The good ol’ days–or were they? Rosy retrospection isn’t exactly nostalgia

Rosy retrospection can make us feel fun and fuzzy, but it does come with some thorns.

Picture this: retro cameras, Discmans, turntables, chalk and blackboards, snacks like Potchi, HawHaw, and Mik-Mik, and even the type of angsty songs from the 90s. For those who are in the very late 20s to mid-40s bracket, chances are you had flashbacks of your experiences with these.

It seems that the softened tones, hues, and feels of the past make it a tad more alluring. It might be because life can be difficult the moment people finally have to call themselves “adults,” or it could be because current events around the world appear problematic.

And If this is you, then you may be experiencing a touch of rosy retrospection.

The invisible rose-colored glasses

The term “rosy retrospection” alludes to the tendency to have fonder feelings when recalling the past compared to life’s current moments. This can happen at any time and even at any age—so long as a person already has a past that they can compare their current experience with.

In fact, rosy retrospection can happen during any event in life. It could be the childhood memory of not having too many responsibilities. It could be a relationship that still occupies space in your mind—regardless of how your ex actually treated you. It could be a job that may have pushed your limits but, looking back, now seems to be “a growth driver” for your career.

Oftentimes, rosy retrospection feels like almost nothing was wrong in that timeframe you remember—captured and softened in the pinkness of youth and untouched by hard times. But the big question is: were they really the good ol’ times?

Nostalgia, the more neutral sentiment

Enter nostalgia, an experience where a person remembers and sometimes longs for the past. Or for those who are familiar with the animated movie Inside Out 2, it’s the old granny who tends to recall what happened “back in the day.”

While it sounds familiar and almost too close to rosy retrospection, the lens of nostalgia is focused on a different aspect. According to research in Frontiers of Psychology, nostalgia is more centered on “the self, important social connections, and meaningful events shared with loved ones.” There is a reflection on different kinds of experiences—good, bad, and everything in between—and sometimes, this can usher in a change in one’s current mood and perspective.

The difference in the details

As much as rosy retrospection appears to be a sentimental trip down memory lane, psychological research shows that rosy retrospection is a type of cognitive bias. Cognitive biases are mental shortcuts that allow people to make quick judgments of things, places, experiences, and even people.

While cognitive biases are not bad, left unchecked and without reflection, they can lead to simple and dualistic ways. Dubbed as the “trap” of rosy retrospection, it can lead to  remembering only the good, with denial or indifference to the difficulties and not-so-good events that did happen.

But the reality is that the past—just like the present—comes with all sorts of feelings, thoughts, and situations. And most of the time, they all add to the overall experience and character development of a person as a whole.

Donning the lens of awareness

Of course, rosy retrospection is not bad by any means. Everyone gets bitten by the past-bug once in a while, especially when the present is just too much. But if there is one thing that can help, it’s circling back to the self and wearing the lens of awareness.

When you’re hit by the wave of nostalgia, it may help to look at the process from past to present, rather than seeing the two as separate time periods in life. 

This can help show the journey, including the progress and the transitions in between. And they do not always look pretty and pink. But seeing the journey and linking it back to the present could allow for a better appreciation of the now or give clues to what you can change for the better, even through small steps.

READ: