Those surrounded by many close friends do not only live in the present but also mentally travel back to the past. Those who strive to keep their numerous friendships intact often feel nostalgia and have more close friends compared to less emotional individuals. This conclusion comes from a new study involving nearly 1,500 people in the U.S. and Europe, published in the scientific journal Cognition and Emotion.

Previous studies have found that people with trustworthy friends are happier with their lives and also less likely to develop depressive symptoms. Additionally, they are less likely to experience premature death. Having friendships with familial bonds provides valuable support during challenging times.

The Link between Good Friends and Past Moments

1st Experiment

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In this new first-of-its-kind study, researchers from the University at Buffalo in the U.S. and Kyoto University in Japan conducted three surveys regarding the connection between nostalgia and a person’s social network size. For the first experiment, a group of undergraduate students in the U.S. was asked how many times they relived the past and about their friendships.

The students had an average age of 19. They reported having an average of seven people to whom they felt very close—so close that they found it hard to imagine their lives without them. They also had another 21 people who remained significant to them. The scientists reported that those participants who expressed this sweet melancholy also placed greater importance on maintaining strong friendships and had the most close ties, along with other types of relationships.

2nd Experiment

The second experiment examined whether the same was true for non-students in the U.S. This study found that participants, with an average age of 40, had smaller social networks than the students. They had five people with whom they felt very close, on average, and about 14 other people who were still significant to them. The results of this study completely matched the first experiment.

3rd Experiment

The third experiment utilized data from a long-term Dutch study, the Longitudinal Internet Studies for Social Sciences (LISS), to examine the impact of nostalgia on social networks over a seven-year period. It found that participants became more nostalgic as they aged.

Participants who scored ‘high’ or ‘moderate’ for reminiscing about the past maintained the same number of strong social bonds during this time—people with whom they could discuss significant topics. In contrast, those with low levels of nostalgia had 18% fewer close relationships.

Overall, the findings suggest that the tendency to unlock happy moments spent with others helps us realize the authenticity of these connections—and this fact motivates us to rejuvenate them.

‘People who frequently feel nostalgic and value these memories have greater awareness of their important relationships and the need to nurture them,’ says researcher Kuan-Ju Huang, a doctoral student at Kyoto University in Japan. ‘This means that these friendships are more likely to endure, even as we grow older and our lives, interests, and responsibilities change.’