Clay Routledge, NDSU professor of psychology and faculty fellow at the Challey Institute for Global Innovation and Growth, was recently interviewed by The Atlantic. Routledge is featured in an article titled “Is That Nostalgia You’re Feeling? Missing the daily pleasures of pre-quarantine life doesn’t have to be a bad thing.” It was written by journalist Kaitlyn Tiffany.
In the article, Routledge notes that his studies show college students feel nostalgia for things they did only a few months ago. “Even though that was recent, it was still separation and a connection they longed for,” he is quoted as saying.
As the nation practices social distancing, people may miss being with friends or going to the movies, the article states. According to Routledge, that nostalgia can be a motivator to making plans or coming up with new ideas. “Even though you’re thinking about the past and it’s past oriented, there’s also a component of it where you’re preparing for the future,” he said in the article.
The Atlantic is a national publication established in 1857. It features articles on a variety of topics, such as politics, science, health, technology, business, books, culture and education.
Routledge has published more than 100 scholarly papers and written two books – “Nostalgia: A Psychological Resource” and “Supernatural: Death, Meaning, and the Power of the Invisible World.” In addition, he has co-edited two books and is the lead writer of the TED-Ed animated lesson “Why Do We Feel Nostalgia”
His work has been featured in many major media outlets, such as The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, CBS News, ABC News, BBC News, CBC News, CNN, MSNBC, Men’s Health, The Atlantic and The New Yorker.
Routledge is an occasional op-ed writer for the New York Times and National Review and has written articles for the Wall Street Journal and Scientific American.
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