Reclaiming Time Through Nostalgia
How your relationship with time shapes nostalgia and what you buy.
Posted November 24, 2025 | Reviewed by Hara Estroff Marano
Have you ever noticed how differently people experience time? Some of us live by the clock, with every moment planned, scheduled, and accounted for. Others seem to glide through their day, guided not by minutes or hours but instinct and flow.
In my research on how people transition through time, I’ve found that most of us fall into one of two distinct categories: clock timers or event timers. These time orientations don’t just affect how we structure our days; they also shape how we think, feel, and even what we buy.
Two Ways of Living Through Time
Clock timers live by external time. They wake up to an alarm, eat breakfast at a designated hour, and arrive at work precisely when the clock dictates. Their day unfolds in neat, measurable units, each activity clearly marked by a start and an end. A clock timer’s sense of order comes from synchronizing with the external rhythms of time.
On the other side of the spectrum are event timers, who follow their internal sense of flow. They wake up naturally—some days earlier, some days later. They eat when they feel hungry, not when the clock says it’s lunchtime. They begin their work when they feel ready and transition between tasks based on an inner feeling of completion rather than a scheduled block on a calendar.
Neither approach is inherently better; each has its advantages. Clock timers tend to be efficient, punctual, and reliable. Event timers, meanwhile, are often flexible, creative, and more attuned to their natural rhythms. But these orientations also come with psychological consequences that ripple into unexpected areas of life—including how we experience nostalgia .
Time, Control, and the Pull of the Past
In a series of studies I conducted with my colleague Jannine Lasaleta, we explored how the different time orientations influence people’s connection to the past. Specifically, we examined how clock timers and event timers respond to nostalgic cues and their tendency to engage in nostalgic consumption—purchasing items that remind them of earlier times.
Our findings revealed a fascinating pattern: Clock timers are significantly more prone to nostalgia. They are more likely to reflect on the past, to seek comfort in memories, and to purchase products that evoke earlier eras, like an old movie, a vintage record, a retro-style camera, or even a piece of classic furniture.
It All Comes Down to Control, or Its Loss
Clock timers, by definition, surrender much of their autonomy to external time structures. Their lives are dictated by schedules, alarms, and deadlines. Over time, this external regulation can create a subtle but persistent feeling of being controlled by time rather than controlling it. Nostalgic experiences and purchases serve as a psychological counterbalance.
When a clock timer listens to a song from their youth, watches an old movie, or buys a vintage object, they are symbolically reclaiming ownership over time. Nostalgia becomes a way to pause the relentless ticking of the clock, to momentarily escape the pressures of time’s forward march. It’s a breather, a sense that time can slow down, even stop, allowing them to reconnect with moments when life felt freer, more spontaneous, or more personal.
After indulging in nostalgia, they can return to their structured lives feeling a bit more grounded and in control.
Nostalgia as Emotional Regulation
This discovery highlights nostalgia not as mere sentimentality but as a form of emotional regulation . For clock timers, nostalgic products offer a way to manage the emotional costs of living in a tightly structured world. They serve as tools for psychological balance.
Event timers, on the other hand, generally feel less need for such temporal reprieve. Because their lives are guided by internal rhythms rather than strict schedules, they tend to feel a greater sense of agency over their time. They move at their own pace, so they don’t experience the same pressure or loss of control that drives clock timers toward nostalgic longing.
For them, time feels elastic, something to be shaped rather than obeyed. As a result, they may appreciate nostalgia intellectually or aesthetically, but they are less likely to use it as a means of emotional restoration.
The Subtle Power of Nostalgic Consumption
The implications of this research go beyond individual psychology. They touch the core of how modern consumers behave in an age obsessed with speed, productivity , and digital connectivity.
Think about the resurgence of vinyl records, the comeback of Polaroid cameras, or the popularity of TV reboots and vintage aesthetics in fashion. These aren’t just trends; they’re collective expressions of nostalgia. And as our research suggests, they may be particularly appealing to those whose lives are most dominated by the clock: professionals, urban dwellers, and anyone whose days are ruled by meetings, alerts, and notifications.
When life feels scheduled to the minute, nostalgia offers something profoundly human: a sense of continuity, connection, and control.
The Psychology of “Stopping Time”
What makes nostalgia so powerful is its unique relationship with time perception. When people engage with nostalgic memories or experiences, they often report a slowing down of time. It’s as though the past opens a doorway to timelessness, a temporary refuge from the demands of the present.
Clock timers, in particular, crave this sensation. By reliving moments from their past, they symbolically resist the constraints of external time. It’s not just that they enjoy old movies or retro design; it’s that these experiences represent a brief suspension of time’s authority.
Event timers, conversely, live closer to that timeless mindset every day. Their flexible relationship with time makes them less dependent on nostalgia for emotional relief, although they can still enjoy it for its beauty or sentiment.
You might already have a sense of where you fall on the spectrum. Do you check your watch constantly, plan your day by the hour, and feel anxious when things run late? You’re likely a clock timer.
Do you prefer to flow through your day, starting tasks when inspiration strikes and finishing them when they feel complete? That’s the hallmark of an event timer.
Most of us, of course, exist somewhere in between. We follow clocks because society demands it, and we stick to work schedules, appointments, and deadlines, but we also crave moments of flow, when time feels suspended and we can simply be .
A Thought for Your Next Purchase
Next time you find yourself choosing between a sleek, modern chair and one that reminds you of your grandmother’s kitchen, or between a new streaming playlist and the vinyl record you once loved, pause and ask yourself: Am I a clock timer or an event timer?
Your answer might reveal not only how you live through time but also why you’re drawn to certain objects, sounds, and experiences. It might even remind you that, sometimes, the best way to move forward is to take a moment to step back.
After all, in a world that moves ever faster, perhaps nostalgia isn’t about looking back but about reclaiming time itself.
Lasaleta, Jannine, and Tamar Avnet, Nostalgia on the Clock: How Time and Locus of Control Influence Consumer Behavior, (2025) working paper.
Share this post Facebook Bluesky Linkedin Email
There was a problem adding your email address. Please try again.
By submitting your information you agree to the Psychology Today Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy
Tamar Avnet, Ph.D., is Professor of Marketing, Associate Dean of Sy Syms School of Business, and Director of Sy Syms Graduate programs.
Get the help you need from a therapist near you–a FREE service from Psychology Today.
This article is part of the Bringwise Psychology Journal — daily insights on human behavior, mental health, and personal growth.