# Nostalgia’s Unexpected Etymology Explains Why It Can Feel So Painful ![rw-book-cover](https://readwise-assets.s3.amazonaws.com/static/images/article0.00998d930354.png) ## Metadata - Author: [[Adrienne Matei]] - Full Title: Nostalgia’s Unexpected Etymology Explains Why It Can Feel So Painful - Category: #Source/articles - URL: https://qz.com/1108120/nostalgias-unexpected-etymology-explains-why-it-can-feel-so-painful/ ## Highlights - Many linguists believe the words we speak have an influence on our thoughts and feelings. ([View Highlight](https://instapaper.com/read/1474355280/18693650)) - [[Nostalgia]] can manifest in a variety of ways, but unlike [[Emotions]] like [[Happiness]], which have a spectrum of English words to express their variances, nostalgia lacks nuanced synonyms for its various types. ([View Highlight](https://instapaper.com/read/1474355280/18693661)). - Other languages do have these nuances: - [[Nostimon—Greek]] - [[Saudade—Portuguese and Galician]] - [[Sehnsucht—German]] - [[Dor—Romanian]] - [[Toska—Russian]] - [[Mono no aware—Japanese]] ## Application to Loneliness -