Nostalgia hasn’t always been a tool for manipulating our emotions – it was once a medical condition

By Agnes Arnold-Forster, Chancellor's Fellow, History of Medicine, Emotions and Modern British History, The University of Edinburgh

Nostalgia has somewhat of a bad reputation – particularly for its recent influence on politics and society. The emotion is supposed to persuade, delude and charm people into making electoral decisions.

For example, Brexit has been blamed by some on Britain’s “nostalgia for the past”, while Donald Trump’s “Make America Great Again” slogan is perhaps the best encapsulation of nostalgia’s political power.

But, while the politics…

Read complete article

~	People with dementia aren’t currently eligible for voluntary assisted dying. Should they be?

~	Flu vaccines are no longer free for all under-12s in NZ – children living in poverty and at higher risk will bear the brunt

~	‘How a healthy community should be’: how music in youth detention can create new futures

~	A pest of our own making: revealing the true origins of the not-so-German cockroach

~	What is fate? And how can it both limit and liberate us?

~	Sri Lanka: Amnesty International’s Secretary General concludes five-day visit

~	Seychelles: floating baby corals can help save damaged reefs – new study

~	Snakebites can destroy skin, muscle, and even bone – exciting progress on drugs to treat them

~	Small businesses can help South Africa fight unemployment if they get proper support – study

~	The Details: could a ‘quiet COVID book’ win the 2024 International Booker prize?