Many of us get lost in memories now and then, especially when the golden winter sunshine warms our souls. Walking down memory lane can be pleasurable, allowing you to revive cherished bygone moments or people you may have lost. But what does dwelling on the past do to our mental health? Does it benefit us or keep us from enjoying our present? Opinions on the subject vary.
Verywell Mind notes that the human brain is designed to exaggerate the negative. That can’t bode well for people who may already be struggling with their present lives. In contrast, Harvard Medicine finds that connecting odors (and other senses) with memories may have positive implications for cognitive functioning. Understanding how walking down memory lane affects us can help us find a balance between living in the past and our present life.
Not Forgetting Bad Incidents: Positive-Negative Asymmetry
The primary problem with focusing too much on past events is that our brains emphasize and get stuck on the subpar. The poor performance review your old boss gave you. A painful breakup. The death of someone you loved.
Neuroscientists label this behavior a positive-negative asymmetry, or a bias that causes us to feel negative experiences more strongly than good ones. Gradually, it can make it challenging to remain optimistic.
A Forbes feature explains why our brains are hardwired to be like this, linking it to evolutionary developments. Our brains have evolved to be hypervigilant about threats, thanks to our days of living in the wilderness. Such events also trigger a stress response, causing a surge of cortisol. Over time, it builds an emotional feedback loop that can be hard to escape.
If you find yourself stuck, try reframing your inner self-talk. Many people benefit from distracting themselves when they feel themselves ruminating. Even taking a walk can help in such circumstances.
Past vs. Future: What Works Better for Depression?
Another consideration here is the state of your mental health. It will directly affect whether thinking about the past makes you feel cheerful or further down in the dumps.
Often, people undergoing therapy for behavioral issues such as depression or anxiety look toward their past. They try to count their blessings or remember happier moments to emerge from mental distress. However, the latest research suggests taking a different direction.
Psychology Today recommends thinking about the future to feel more optimistic and experience a sense of purpose. Some therapists now focus on helping patients acquire future-thinking skills, including visualization and goal-setting.
If a certain therapeutic approach, such as past-directed counseling, feels counterproductive for you, your therapist should consider changing it.
Anyhow, the larger mental healthcare ecosystem is going through an overhaul in light of challenges posed by AI agents and social media addiction. The ongoing Acadia lawsuit against the Acadia behavioral health facilities highlights inadequate caution in hiring and monitoring. This has led to considerable patient mistreatment in these institutions.
According to TorHoerman Law, some centers struggle with persistent understaffing and management oversight. How likely is it that such facilities focus on changing narratives and new studies on how best to support people with behavioral issues?
This case underlines the urgency of active patient/caregiver involvement in treatment. If you take note of your reaction to a certain therapeutic approach, you can call for changes if symptoms worsen.
When Thinking About The Past Can Be Beneficial
Of course, the human mind does not believe in blanket rules. Treading memory lanes can also be beneficial on multiple occasions.
The American Psychological Association asserts that nostalgia can enhance our mental health by strengthening social belonging and preventing loneliness. Happy memories can release dopamine, a neurotransmitter that offers a natural uplift.
Remembering the past is also helpful in recalling lessons learned from key life experiences. We can do this by reminiscing, which is a way to stimulate our brains and assess (almost) forgotten events.
Engaging in reminiscing can support people throughout their lifespan, including meeting like-minded people as they grow older. It is also a fine way to stay connected to one’s roots and events that have shaped them.
In fact, reminiscence therapy is now a formally recognized approach to help people with dementia. A 2025 Frontiers in Medicine research study underscores the importance of delivering personalized reminiscence therapy sessions to help people benefit from the power of long-term memory. It can mitigate feelings of social isolation and help people address the burden of existing inabilities.
Ultimately, rekindling the past is an activity that has both benefits and limitations, like most other habits human beings cultivate. Being aware of this can help us manage our behaviors and thought patterns. It can make the difference between enjoying reading old journals and avoiding plans for the future. The goal is to find a beautiful balance between the time ahead of us and what we have left behind.
Thinking about the past must remain separate from dwelling in it.