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Presenting 'Throughline': The Nostalgia Bone : It's Been a Minute The global pandemic has spawned a different type of epidemic, one of an entirely different nature: a nostalgia outbreak. Longing for 'simpler times' and 'better days', many of us have been turning to 90s dance playlists, TV sitcoms, and sports highlights. We're looking for comfort and safety in the permanence of the past, or at least, what we think the past was. But, when it first appeared, nostalgia itself wasn't considered a feeling; it was a deadly disease. In this episode from our friends at NPR's Throughline podcast, Laine Kaplan-Levenson traces the history of nostalgia from its origins as an illness to the dominating emotion of our time.

You can follow us on Twitter @NPRItsBeenAMin and email us at samsanders@npr.org.

It's Been a Minute

Presenting 'Throughline': The Nostalgia Bone

Presenting 'Throughline': The Nostalgia Bone

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Illustrated image depicting a person with short hair, leaning out of an open window. The person is kneeling on their bed, which is pushed up against the wall, underneath the window. They appear to be looking out at something.
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Hokyoung Kim
Illustrated image depicting a person with short hair, leaning out of an open window. The person is kneeling on their bed, which is pushed up against the wall, underneath the window. They appear to be looking out at something.
Hokyoung Kim

The global pandemic has spawned a different type of epidemic, one of an entirely different nature: a nostalgia outbreak. Longing for 'simpler times' and 'better days', many of us have been turning to 90s dance playlists, TV sitcoms, and sports highlights. We're looking for comfort and safety in the permanence of the past, or at least, what we think the past was. But, when it first appeared, nostalgia itself wasn't considered a feeling; it was a deadly disease. In this episode from our friends at NPR's Throughline podcast, Laine Kaplan-Levenson traces the history of nostalgia from its origins as an illness to the dominating emotion of our time.

This episode of 'Throughline' was mixed by Alex Drewenskus. This episode of 'It's Been a Minute' was produced by Audrey Nguyen. Our intern is Nathan Pugh. Our editor is Jordana Hochman. You can follow us on Twitter @NPRItsBeenAMin and email us at samsanders@npr.org.