This is a TEDx event and is organised independently of the TED conferences. More information: http://ted.com/tedx

What is nostalgia and why do we feel it? Travelling into the past, Elena Carrera discusses the different names, diagnoses and ideas that help us understand emotions such as nostalgia, melancholy, loneliness... Feelings we associate with being far away in time and place, as well as the contrasting emotion of hope, which is often a remedy. As a researcher, understanding the emotions of the past is a way to build up our own ability to develop compassion through our intellect which could be the beginning of the end of humanity's injustice and suffering. 

A lecturer at the Queen Mary University in London, where in 2008 she co-founded the renowned Centre for the History of the Emotions and with a PhD from Oxford University (her thesis on autobiography and power), Elena Carrer has published works on the history of madness and melancholy, on emotions and health, anger, wartime fears, intersubjective fear and courage, shame, tears and empathy. She is currently working on the history of emotions as the cause of and the cure for mental illnesses.

This event took place on September 21, 2019 at the Teatro Circo Price in Madrid under the heading RETROFUTURO.

Producer: Daniel Goldmann Editor: Xavi Fortino Camera crew: Josep Fernández, David Ramos, Nacho Valentín Marcos, Diego García, Toni Català. Sound manager: Daniel Davidson Production aids: Conchi Manzano, Tessa Demichel and Llanos Velasco. Produced by: Manilafilms.com Live sound and lighting by: Teatro Circo Price technical team Direct screen: RGB Corp (rgbcorp.eu) Design and Motion Graphics RETROFUTURO: Alvaro León (alvaroleon.com) Sound and audio mix design RETROFUTURO: Francisco Mejía (pararayos.tv)

The history of nostalgia and hope | Elena Carrera | TEDxMadrid

Emotions are more than facial expressions; they evolve with language and culture, shaping human experiences across history.

Nostalgia, once a diagnosable illness causing physical ailment, reflects the deep interplay between mind, body, and emotions.

Compassion, unlike involuntary empathy, can be cultivated to address global injustices, urging a collective push for solutions.