The positive emotion you feel when reflecting on the past, known as nostalgia, is apparently great for your psychological well-being.

Remember how crisp and fresh the air always felt on the morning of a school excursion day? There you go; we just improved your mental health in one sense.

According to a new study published in the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, feeling more authentically nostalgic has good effects on one's psychological well-being.

The research team discovered experimental and correlational evidence to support their hypothesis. Additionally, the effect was cross-cultural because the study included participants from the United States, China, and the United Kingdom.

There were 2423 participants, ranging in age from 18 to 78; around 50% were Americans, 33% were Chinese, and 17% were British.

They theorised that PWB (personal well-being) is increased by the sense of authenticity brought on by nostalgic thinking.

The first of the four studies supported the association between authenticity, PWB, and nostalgia. Authenticity was described as "the sense that one is in alignment with one's true self" in this research.

The subsequent research involved experiments that showed cause and effect at each stage. Study two showed that authenticity was boosted by nostalgia. In studies three and four, it was discovered that authenticity enhanced PWB for all well-being categories.

This study makes a significant contribution to our knowledge of the advantages of authenticity.

The research team believe it's the first time it's been shown that nostalgia instils a general sense of psychological thriving.

Next, the team should test how remembering embarrassing moments affects one's mental well-being.

You know when you lay in bed at night and remember the time you fell in front of your whole class, but you were holding custard, and the custard went up your nose…just me? I can assure you there are no increases in PWB when that memory pops up.