Don’t dwell on the past, they say. But this logic rarely seems to translate into pop culture, where fashion, film, TV and book releases are all currently taking inspiration from the 90s and 00s era, and we’re lapping it up.

It’s been this way for a while. Last year, Hollywood saw huge success with Spider-Man: No Way Home, which played on the nostalgia of fans who loved the previous iterations of the webbed hero that were released in the 00s. The movie reunited Tom Holland with fellow spider-men Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield, much to fans’ utter delight. So delighted, in fact, that Far From Home is the highest-grossing Spider-Man movie ever.

Netflix’s Wednesday revisited the world of 90s staple The Addams Family to flying success, becoming one of the streamer’s most popular TV shows of all time within weeks of its release in late 2022. Fresh Prince reboot Bel-Air has been renewed for season two, as has the controversial Sex And The City revival series, And Just Like That. That 70s Show even got its own nostalgic spinoff (aptly titled That 90s Show), which was also renewed within a month of its release back in January.

Some of this year’s big movie releases reek of nostalgia. This year, we’ll be treated to a live-action version of The Little Mermaid movie – (the animated version was released in 1989 and had a huge impact on 1990s kids like me). Greta Gerwig’s human take on Barbie’s story – again, a huge part of the 90s culture, not least because of the release of Aqua’s Barbie Girl – has received a huge amount of hype, and not just because first-look pictures involved Ryan Gosling’s pecs. And 00s classic Legally Blonde is also en route back to our screens, with a third instalment currently in production.

The fashion world has also fallen victim to numerous nostalgic trends that have made a return from the 90s and 00s – Birkenstocks, dungarees and the dreaded low-rise jean, anyone?

Book publishers are also on the lookout for 90s-based stories right now, according to Liz Foley, a director at UK book publisher Harvill Secker. 

“The kids of the 90s have truly come of age, and as that decade recedes further into memory, it’s time to put on the rose-tinted glasses, revive its fashion and aesthetics (like we’ve seen with the 60s, 70s and 80s) and explore it in TV, film and books,” she tells Stylist.

And just when we thought we’d reached peak overload, S Club 7 announced a UK tour for October. Which means, yes, they’re going to bring it all back to you (and me, and everyone).

So why is venturing into the past – and revisiting the characters, stories and vibes that we loved back then – such a popular, comforting trend right now? Like so many things, the nostalgia boom comes back to the extremely volatile times that we are living in and have lived through.

“Nostalgia is often heightened during transitional periods or times of substantial personal or social/cultural change,” Dr Krystine Batcho, a professor of psychology and nostalgia expert, tells Stylist, adding that it “activates reward mechanisms in the brain”.

She explains why books, films, TV shows and fashion trends from the 90s and 00s are having a particular impact. 

“Members of the millennial and Gen Z generations are especially likely to be prone to nostalgia for the 90s/00s now, as they remember their childhood, teen years and late adolescence,” she says. “Those years predate much of the stress imposed by dramatic transformations in the way we currently live.”

On top of the challenges we have faced from “tremendous technology advances” and “learning new ways of working, communicating and maintaining relationships” during a pandemic, and the disconnectedness we may feel as a result, Dr Batcho suggests that a cost of living crisis and subsequent money worries only intensifies the temptation to “escape” through nostalgia.

“An economic crisis is the type of stressful circumstance that can trigger a reliance on nostalgia,” she says. 

“In such a case, nostalgia is being used as an escape from financial worries and problems.”

So our compulsion to jump back into a revamp of our old TV show favourite, read a book that makes us think of a different time or even wear a clothing garment that makes us feel like a carefree teenager again is possibly all part of a wider craving for a way to break free from the bleak political, economic and social reality that we are living through.

“It is not surprising that such conditions have been associated with increased anxiety, loneliness and depression,” Dr Batcho says, explaining that these mental health issues are “all triggers for nostalgic yearning for the familiarity, security and emotional comfort of the past”.

Research by the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) found that two-thirds of therapists have reported a decline in the population’s mental health due to the cost of living crisis, and with the number of people experiencing depression at a higher level than before the pandemic, it’s hardly surprising that we are feeling more attracted by the comfort that nostalgia brings – whatever form it comes in.

Is indulging in these feelings good for us, though? Well, according to Dr Batcho, it can “motivate people to aspire to a more positive future by remembering good aspects of the past”. 

She adds that nostalgia is a “social emotion”, with research showing that it strengthens feelings of belonging and social connectedness, contracting loneliness and feelings of helplessness when overwhelmed by hardships.  

Dr Batcho warns against allowing these feelings of nostalgia to isolate us or distract us completely from personal growth and future plans. Living in the now is still important, and indulging in what we loved in the past too much may stop us from being present.

The way to keep our nostalgic tendencies healthy in these difficult times, she says, is to share them with others. Think about a trip to see the latest movie reboot or plan a watch party for the latest nostalgic TV series. 

“Keeping nostalgia social helps to keep it healthy,” Dr Batcho explains. “Social nostalgia serves as a bridge from the past to the present, strengthening optimism, healthy coping and moving forward.”

Used and channelled right, our nostalgia could just be the thing that propels us into the future.

“Perhaps,” Dr Batcho suggests, “delving back into the 90s and 00s will provide a bit of respite and re-energise us to move forward with informed resolve.”

We can but hope.

Images: Warner Bros; Getty; NBC