Emma dives headlong into some playful chat, this week focusing on something that the whole world seems to have gone crazy for right now.…nostalgia!

In a bid to understand more about this fascinating topic, Emma talks to Clay Routledge, PhD, who is the Vice President of Research and Director of the Human Flourishing Lab at the Archbridge Institute. Clay is also the co-editor of Profectus (a periodic magazine on human progress and flourishing), and the co-host of The Profectus Podcast. Clay shares insights from his new book Past Forward which explores compelling science and valuable practices for mindfully using nostalgia to live a more grounded, connected, and purposeful life

In this episode, Emma and Clay discuss (with timestamps):

00:00 - Introductions

03:05 - Being a ‘latch key’ kid

07.35 - The free range parenting movement

12:35 - Are some generations more infatuated with nostalgia?

18:43 - What do we get from nostalgia?

20:50 - The use of nostalgia as a way to make you feel younger

24:40 - The difference between memory and nostalgia

28:35 - Portals for nostalgia (attaching meaning)

35:19 - Aesthetic nostalgia (is the world too sterile now?)

39:21 - Historial nostalgia vs personal nostalgia

43:42 - Savouring moments

47:04 - Stimuli that encourage nostalgia

53:15 - Looking to the past for ideas

55:14 - How does nostalgia help us to live a meaningful life?

You can find more of Clay’s work by checking out the following links:

www.archbridgeinstitute.org

www.clayroutledge.com

X - @clayroutledge

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Paid subscribers get weekly conversations with Emma and her husband Ben on all things living playfully and you can also read Emma's written series - Raising Alpha on the challenges of raising today’s u14s and Live Playfully on how to get more play into everyday adulting.

Emma and Ben walk through 7 points from Helen Russell’s book How to Raise a Viking. The Secrets of Parenting the World’s Happiest Children.

Ben also gets told off for blowing out Emma’s ‘well-being’ candles.

To view the article Emma is referencing follow this link:

https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2024/feb/25/play-outside-and-sing-together-living-in-denmark-and-raising-viking-children

In this episodes array of playful living topics:

* Smartphone free childhood - is the revolt coming?

* Role modelling and gender stereotypes

* Everyday enthusiasm - new segment!

* Finding Flow

* Imaginary Met Gala

* Are mermaids real?

Join Ben and Emma for a Valentines Day special! The candles are unlit, Ben has no shirt on and they’re recording by dodgy red light - how much more romance do you want?!

* Virtual Reality and kids in the future

* Sexy movies which offered accidental 90s sex education

* Play-dating and keeping play going in long-term relationships

* Special occasions or spontane…

Emma and Ben are back…

* Emma has a creative block and explains how she went about it all wrong!

* Ben thinks Emma is out of touch with popular culture

* 00s and the toxic 2000s

* Book and cinema club

* Is creativity exploding or retracting?

* Big teasers for next weeks VALENTINES DAY LOVE SPECIAL

The pod is back and this week we’re talking:

* Emma wonders why she’s only properly learning about periods and cycles in her 40s

* Is the self-care revolution missing the piece about staying well as a way to help others?

* How do you keep motivation for goals going as you get older?

* Is arguing on the internet one of the dumbest things humans have ever done?

* The many faces of Ben

In this weeks episode…

* Ben is not satisfied that Emma doesn’t have a catchy name for her new approach to cooking and food

* Ben offers to try slam poetry with the family

* Emma analyses Ben and Scout at play

* Emma finds flow in writing but wonders why she’s conditioned to think it’s a waste of her time

* Update on Ben’s noodle box search

Well this one is unhinged to say the least. Topics discussed:

* What does crux mean?

* Why does Ben want to order 1000 noodle boxes

* Ben’s feedback on his week of saying yes

* More Tetris analogies (we’re really stretching this one out)

* Emma got into flow by painting a mask of her mask

* How to leave space for boredom in busy lives

* Big update on finding Blockbus…

In this weekly episode Emma and Ben sit down to discuss:

* national decline in school attendance and what next

* the role of sport and competition in children’s live and creating a lifelong love of movement

* emma shares how she manifested her dream ‘third space’ and how it’s changed her life

* ben learns about the risk of the ‘grumpy old man’ life stage and a…

This is a big deep dive on 2024 goals and dreams, including:

* Emma is approaching health and well-being with women’s first advice

* What does the body positivity movement mean when you are trying to change your body?

* Ben is running 365 days (again)

* How many people are already living life online and what will happen when more people join them?

* When is the new year anyway? Having ‘new year’ moments at different seasons