magazine issue 8 2014 / Issue 22

Revisiting the past can make the present a better place: The psychological and social benefits of nostalgia

• written by Clay Routledge
• edited by Dylan Selterman

A number of recent studies corroborate this analysis of nostalgia (Abeyta et al., in press; Hepper, Ritchie, Sedikides, & Wildschut, 2012; Stephan, Sedikides, & Wildschut, 2012). In all, the research clearly indicates that nostalgia involves people revisiting the life experiences that make them feel, happy, loved, and meaningful. This hardly seems like the type of experience that would lead to mental anguish.

Based on the results of these initial studies, researchers proposed that nostalgia would lead to positive, not negative, psychological states (see Routledge et al., 2013). A number of published experiments support this proposal. In these experiments nostalgia is typically induced by having participants reflect on an experience they are nostalgic about or listen to music that they have identified as nostalgic. Participants in control conditions reflect on other, non-nostalgic autobiographical experiences or listen to music that they have not identified as nostalgic. Subsequently, all participants complete questionnaires related to psychological health and well-being.

Using this general paradigm, researchers have found that nostalgia, relative to a control condition, increases positive mood (Wildschut et al., 2006), feelings of belongingness (Routledge et al., 2011; Wildschut et al., 2006; Zhou, Sedikides, Wildschut, & Gao, 2008), self-esteem (Vess et al., 2012; Wildschut et al., 2006), perceptions of meaning in life (Routledge, Arndt, Sedikides, & Wildschut 2008; Routledge et al., 2011; Routledge et al., 2012), and optimism about the future (Chueng et al., 2013). In addition, despite the fact that nostalgic memories may contain some negative emotions (e.g., sadness), engaging in nostalgia does not increase negative mood (Abeyta et al., in press; Wildschut et al., 2006). In all, the effects of nostalgia are positive.