Declinism: how rosy retrospection impacts decision-making
“It was better before,” says your friend. “Ha, those were the days,” your reply with a sigh. Declinism is the belief that societies tend towards decline, often linked with rosy retrospection—our tendency to view the past more favourably and the future more negatively. It may seem harmless, but declinism can cloud your judgement and lead to bad decisions. How can you avoid it?
While research shows that the illusions created by rosy retrospection can have a positive impact on our mental well-being (because a positive memory will make you happier), they can also alter our memories in ways that affect our present decisions.Another issue is that an overly rosy outlook on the past can cause us to ignore our past mistakes, in a way that prevents us from learning from them.