Have you spotted this trend online of people reminiscing about, and pining for, 2016? People have been posting pictures of themselves a decade ago, getting back into the music, and using filters that have a 2016 feel about them.

It’s curious on a few counts: 2016 wasn’t really that long ago, with much of characters and storylines still the same, and… wasn’t it objectively a terrible year? It’s famous for political unrest and celebrity deaths. And don’t we bascially still live in that era?

Whether it’s 2016, or any other time, why do we feel nostalgic? Why do we believe that the past – so often an objectively worse place to be – is better than our present?

To find out, I spoke to Clay Routledge –  an existential psychologist, author, and leading researcher on meaning, purpose, and nostalgia.