From Hagioptasia to Anemoia: Why We Feel Nostalgic for Things Not Experienced

Hagioptasia is a term coined by musician Daniel Laidler, which he says represents “a fundamental human perceptual tendency to experience an illusory sense of extraordinary ‘specialness’ in various aspects of life.” These aspects of life include music, religious and sacred objects, art, status and glamour, and nostalgia. I wrote about expressions of hagioptasia in emo…

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Neophilia and Neologisms: The Psychology Behind Inventing New Words

The human species has often been referred to as neophilic, or novelty-loving. For evolutionary reasons (i.e. being incentivised to be nomadic, or to search for – and explore –  new surroundings), we tend to respond to new stimuli in a positive way – with intrigue, interest, curiosity, and satisfaction. Our species has been deemed so…

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