Episode 2 — You're Not Stuck in the Past — You're Mining It: The Science of Nostalgia with Dr. Clay Routledge Nostalgia, loneliness, and the shared experiences we've lost — an existential psychologist explains why missing the past is actually good for you

Have you ever been told to stop living in the past? What if that impulse — that pull toward old songs, childhood memories, and the way things used to feel — is actually one of the healthiest things your brain does?

In this episode of The Analog Hour, host Michelle Henery sits down with Dr. Clay Routledge, an existential psychologist and one of the world's leading researchers on nostalgia, to explore why we're so drawn to the past in times of uncertainty, and why instead of it being a weakness, it's a resource.

Clay explains what existential psychology actually is, how our brains use memories to stabilize us when the future feels threatening, and why nostalgia is not a tape recorder — it's a story-making machine designed to help us find meaning, courage, and connection. He shares research showing that nostalgic memories are remarkably similar across cultures, ages, and languages — and nearly all of them are social at their core.

Michelle and Clay dig into why the loss of shared cultural experiences — from trick-or-treating with neighbors you actually knew to watching the same television shows as everyone else — has left us feeling more divided than ever. They explore how Gen Z is leading a surprising hybrid approach, embracing both streaming playlists and vinyl record stores, and what older generations can learn from that balance.

In this episode:

• What existential psychology is and why it matters right now
• How our brains use the past to cope with an uncertain future — and why that's not the same as wanting to go back
• Why nostalgia isn't rosy retrospection — lessons from World War II survivors in Southampton, England
• How pandemic memories are already becoming a source of nostalgic meaning
• The hybrid approach: why Gen Z buys vinyl records without canceling Spotify
• Historical nostalgia — how borrowing other people's memories builds intergenerational connection
• The stunning research finding that less than 3% of users are responsible for toxic online behavior — and most people want a kinder internet

About the guest:

Dr. Clay Routledge is an existential psychologist, behavioral scientist, and leading expert on nostalgia and the human search for meaning. His research explores how people use memories, meaning, and purpose to navigate life's biggest questions. He is the author of Past Forward: How Nostalgia Can Help You Live a More Meaningful Life and writes the weekly newsletter Flourishing Friday, where he covers the psychology of meaning, connection, and human flourishing.

Connect with The Analog Hour:

Follow us on Instagram @analoginadigitalworld and subscribe on your favorite podcast platform so you never miss an episode. If this conversation resonated with you, share it with someone who needs a reason to feel hopeful.

When was the last time someone called you and you didn't immediately assume something terrible had happened?

In the debut episode of The Analog Hour, host Michelle Henery sits down with Dr. Phil Higgins, a licensed clinical social worker with more than 20 years of experience working with clients, to unpack a question most of us are afraid to ask out loud: why am I so lonely?

Phil explains why loneliness almost never shows up as the presenting problem in therapy — it hides behind depression, anxiety, and marital conflict. He describes what isolation actually looks like for people in their 30s, 40s, and 50s who have full lives on paper but no one to call. And he makes a surprising case for worrying less about teenagers' screen time and more about our own.

Together, Michelle and Phil explore why younger generations use technology to expand their worlds while older generations use it to shrink theirs, why men are particularly at risk for social isolation, and what actually works to rebuild connection — from volunteering to community hubs to what one of Phil's clients memorably named "heterosexual man-dates".

In this episode:

• Why clients rarely walk into therapy saying "I'm lonely" — and what they say instead
• The generational connection gap: how a 17-year-old and a 47-year-old define friendship and connection differently
• What the lost art of answering the kitchen phone taught us about communication
• Why Phil sends his male clients on friendship dates — and what happens when they come back
• Volunteering, community spaces, and the case for building new 'ships' in real life

About the guest: Dr. Phil Higgins is a licensed clinical social worker based outside Boston, specializing in issues surrounding identity, relationships, and connection. He serves on the board of his local YMCA and, at 49, took up burlesque dancing — because connection takes many forms.

Connect: Share this episode with someone you've been meaning to call.

Welcome to The Analog Hour - where we explore our increasingly divided society, the erosion of trust in institutions from government to media, and the isolation we feel from each other... and how we find our way back to connection.

Hosted by Michelle, a "professional talker" and former journalist who reported across continents for almost 20 years. If you're yearning for clarity, conversation, and community - you're not alone.

Subscribe now. Episode 1 drops in early January 2026.