By Wendi Aarons

Nostalgia is a multilayered emotion that helps people manage their anxiety about the present, revive positive connections to the past and even feel more optimistic about the future, according to research. 

It also makes for a fun podcast.  

Michelle Newman, Carolyn Cochrane and Kristin Nilsen met in a Minneapolis writers’ group in their 40s and bonded over shared references to The Waltons, the popular 1970s television drama about an American family during the Great Depression. Newman later interviewed Nilsen for an article and “the nostalgia vibe was on fire,” says Nilsen. 

In 2020 the trio launched the The Pop Culture Preservation Society podcast. What began as a joyful way to share Gen X memories has led to a community of listeners eager to relive shared childhood memories and gather for live events. We asked about the draw of nostalgia. 

Our conversation has been edited for length and clarity.

Is the pull of nostalgia something that happens naturally when we hit midlife?

Nilsen: Nostalgia-seeking comes at all sorts of turning points. Graduating from college, becoming parents, empty nesting and losing our parents all provide opportunities to look back longingly at how our lives used to be.

Newman: Listeners tell us these memories get them through a rough year. Some have saved our episodes to listen to during chemo because there’s comfort in the memories of a simpler time.

Were those times really simpler, or do we just remember them that way?

Nilsen: When we interviewed Shaun Cassidy, he argued that those days weren’t more innocent. We were just more innocent because we were children. We didn’t worry about rising gas prices because we weren’t buying gas. Even if we were experiencing inequality or economic strife, we still went outside to play with friends. 

When we hear from people who suffered childhood trauma, they say Fonzie and Charlie’s Angels were what made them feel like “normal” kids. They could escape for a moment and just watch the Hardy boys chase that bad guy into the disco. 

How does nostalgia play a role in how we age — not only physically, but also emotionally and mentally?

Cochrane: These moments of connection as we age aren’t just comforting — they’re powerful. They can also be beneficial for mental health. Research shows that nostalgia boosts brain health, lowers risk of illness, and increases longevity.

How do sensory triggers like music, old photos, or childhood places affect us?

Cochrane: Those triggers are like emotional time machines. A song from 1978, like Barry Manilow’s “Can’t Smile Without You,” can lift our spirits and remind us who we once were. But the real magic is sharing those sensory triggers. When someone else lights up over the same memory from Battle of the Network Stars or the scent of Love’s Baby Soft cologne, it’s an instant connection. We call this “community-powered joy.”

We experienced community-powered joy when the three of us attended the Free To Be … You and Me sing-along. Imagine crowds of strangers holding hands, singing to this iconic soundtrack. There’s an electric happiness and collective high when joy is fueled by connection. In this way, we have a shared childhood even if we grew up on opposite sides of the country.

Have you ever rewatched something from childhood and been surprised by how it made you feel?

Newman: All the time. We call this being “Manilowed” — a term inspired by a moment at a Barry Manilow concert when he sang “Mandy” live with his 1970s self on screen. It’s when your child self and your present self collide. When a silly song makes you cry, it’s because you’re occupying your child self for just a moment. And you kind of miss that kid.

“We call this ‘Being Manilowed’…It’s when your child self and your present self collide.”

If you could live one pop culture moment again for a day, what would it be? (Readers, can you guess the year?)

Newman: A Duran Duran show during the Sing Blue Silver tour in Seattle. I can still feel the emotion of the moment when they walked on stage.

Nilsen: A Prince concert during the Purple Rain tour. I had no idea I was witnessing history.

Cochrane: The “Miracle on Ice” when the U.S. men’s hockey team beat the Soviet Union’s team.

Keep reading Issue 3

Take a trip into nostalgia with one of the Pop Culture Preservation Society’s episodes you’ll find here.