‘Stuck in the wrong time period’: Why our nostalgia obsession could be bad for us
It’s official: the hottest commodity across pop culture right now is... memory?
Nostalgia has had its fingers in all the pies in 2026, quietly threaded through everything from the films we watch, to the perfectly slouchy, low-waisted denim dominating our wardrobes. But this begs the question: where do we draw the line between a harmless blast from the past, and an unhealthy cycle of escapism?
Nostalgia is ever-present in 2026. Nine/Polly Hanning
Teenagers are trading in smart devices for gem-bedazzled flip phones, while Millennials are flocking to the cinemas for seemingly endless ’00s franchise reboots.
At best, nostalgia can serve as a pleasant reminder of days gone by. But at worst, it can result in something far less cosy.
According to a study from the University of Southampton, nostalgia in excess can have the adverse affect of “trapping” individuals in a comparison loop, making the present appear inadequate.
So what is driving this collective longing for the past, and how can we ensure it doesn’t consume our lives in the present?
What is driving our obsession?
From the series Love Story making ’90s poster child Carolyn Bessette Kennedy a style icon for a whole new generation, to the discontinued treats reappearing on supermarket shelves, pop culture appears intent on emanating not just the aesthetic of days gone by, but the memory of how life felt at the time.
According to Australian Psychological Society CEO Dr Zena Burgess, there’s a key element driving this increased fixation.
“I think [nostalgia] comes when people are feeling unsafe and feeling like they’re not sure about their future,” she said.
There’s been a seemingly endless appetite for reboots of 2000s movie franchies, like The Devil Wears Prada. 20th Century Studios
She added that in times of perceived uncertainty, we’re often drawn to the comfort of familiarity.
“When you listen to the news and there are conversations about war and danger and racism and violence and those sorts of things, people feel a bit unsafe. They think back to the time when they were kids.”
This act of seeking comfort from digital and political burnout has in turn led to major revivals of 1990s, Y2K and 2016 eras – visible in the popularity of nostalgic content on social media platforms.
Nostalgia meets AI
If you’ve partaken in the occasional doomscroll, you’re likely to have come across accounts dedicated to producing nostalgic imagery – particularly of the ’80s and ’90s.
“I think [nostalgia] comes when people are feeling unsafe and feeling like they’re not sure about their future.” iStock
But what’s notable about this content, which began to appear on the social media accounts of its Australian creator, Sam Thompson, towards the end of 2025 is that they’ve been synthesised using generative AI.
The irony of AI nostalgia accounts is not lost on anyone – however this doesn’t stop them from wracking in millions of views per post, and hundreds of thousands of likes and follows from those the videos resonate with.
Major hubs like Purest Nostalgia boast over 775,000 followers, while accounts like Maximal Nostalgia regularly rack up more than 600,000 likes on single AI-generated video montages.
They frequently capitalise on our collective “homesickness for a place that no longer exists” – but according to Dr Burgess, this is where things can begin to go awry.
The downside of dwelling on the past
Dr Burgess is familiar with social media content of this nature, but warns those consuming it – and leaning too far into the nostalgia craze in general – to avoid getting too caught up.
“The number of posts you see of people being nostalgic about their childhood, and the freedom they had as children to go out and ride their bikes until the lights came on, with no mobile phones, claiming it was all perfect – I don’t think it was quite as black and white and rosy as all of that.”
Miss the ’90s? You’re not alone - but nostalgia can go a step too far. Getty
She says nostalgia alone can be positive – but in excess, it can have a similar effect to emotional trauma, and prove detrimental to our wellbeing.
“If you’re ruminating on things that happened in the past, you can actually become emotionally stuck, and it’s hard to move forward.”
According to Dr Burgess, too much of a good thing can draw us into what’s known as “habitual nostalgia” – a perpetual, unhealthy cycle of attempts to recreate the past in the present.
“It’s about how much you are attached to the nostalgia ... if you want to try and relive the past, that isn’t healthy. This leads to lower well-being and feelings of unhappiness,” she warned.
“That’s when [we] tend to see people in therapy, where they’re basically stuck in the wrong time period and can’t stop thinking about it as either influencing everything that’s happening to them now, or stopping them from doing anything now.”
Could ‘kidulting’ be the solution?
But amid the doom and gloom, there’s one trend to emerge from the nostalgia craze that Dr Burgess fully endorses: ‘Kidulting’.
Reminiscing about the past with friends or family is a positive way to channel and process your nostalgia. iStock
Born of revisiting media and activities we once enjoyed in childhood, Dr Burgess says that embracing this approach strikes the perfect balance between connecting to the present, and reminiscing on the past.
She aptly compared it to “dressing up and living a different life for a while,” adding that reconnecting with past hobbies can serve as a powerful tool for stress relief and emotional processing.
Whether it’s skateboarding, netball or an unopened copy of Klutz’ Paper Fashions from 2006, it can all prove equally beneficial.
“The most important thing in all of that is for adults to have a sense of playfulness, and that’s fantastic for stress management.”
Dr Burgess also notes the best way to embrace nostalgia in your life is communally, rather than individually.
“Talking to other people about it, catching up with friends and family – you reminisce, and it’s a way of making a social connection or re-establishing a social connection, and that makes it positive,” she said.
“It’s getting the balance between being able to be nostalgic but not letting your excessive thinking about the past get in the way of living your life in the present or planning for your future.”
