A blast from the past: The terror management function of nostalgia

Routledge, Clay; Arndt, Jamie; Sedikides, Constantine; Wildschut, Tim

doi:10.1016/j.jesp.2006.11.001

Cited by 325 publications

(347 citation statements)

References 30 publications

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“…Batcho, 1998;Holbrook, 1993;Routledge et al, 2008), and to address the oft-posed question of whether nostalgia can be pathological in type or in excess (cf. Kaplan, 1987;Peters, 1985).…”

Section: Limitations and Future Research Directionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Odyssey's end: Lay conceptions of nostalgia reflect its original homeric meaning.

Hepper¹,

Ritchie²,

Sedikides³

et al. 2012

Emotion

Self Cite

316

574

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Nostalgia fulfills pivotal functions for individuals, but lacks an empirically-derived and comprehensive definition. We examined lay conceptions of nostalgia using a prototype approach. In Study 1, participants generated open-ended features of nostalgia, which were coded into categories. In Study 2, participants rated the centrality of these categories, which were subsequently classified as central (e.g., memories, relationships, happiness) or peripheral (e.g., daydreaming, regret, loneliness). Central (compared to peripheral) features were more often recalled and falsely recognized (Study 3), were classified more quickly (Study 4), were judged to reflect more nostalgia in a vignette (Study 5), better characterized participants' own nostalgic (vs. ordinary) experiences (Study 6), and prompted higher levels of actual nostalgia and its intrapersonal benefits when used to trigger a personal memory, regardless of age (Study 7). These findings highlight that lay people view nostalgia as a selfrelevant and social blended emotional and cognitive state, featuring a mixture of happiness and loss. The findings also aid understanding of nostalgia's functions and identify new methods for future research.Keywords: nostalgia, prototype, emotions, memory, self Nostalgia 3 Nostalgia is part of the fabric of everyday life. After centuries of scientific neglect, the construct has recently been the focus of burgeoning empirical and theoretical developments. According to Boym (2001), nostalgia is experienced by almost everyone.Indeed, 79% of undergraduates report experiencing nostalgia at least once a week (Wildschut, Sedikides, Arndt, & Routledge, 2006), as do over half of adults in every five-year age cohort from age 18 to 90 (Hepper, Wildschut, Sedikides, Routledge, & Arndt, 2011). Moreover, recent research suggests that nostalgia serves vital psychological functions .Despite emerging evidence for the functional relevance of nostalgia, the mechanisms by which it operates are poorly understood. A major reason for this is that there exists no coherent definition of nostalgia; in fact, its nature has long been the subject of debate. The purpose of the present research is to resolve this debate by uncovering conclusively what "nostalgia" means to people. In particular, we propose that lay persons' views of nostalgia have a prototype structure characterized by a core set of central features. In examining this proposal, we aim to clarify what contemporary scholars have been studying and to provide new directions and methods for studying nostalgia further. Historical Conceptions of NostalgiaThe term "nostalgia" derives from the Greek words nostos, meaning return to one's native land, and algos, meaning pain or suffering: literally, suffering caused by longing to return home. However, the idea existed long before the word. In probably its first exploration in classical literature, the theme of nostalgia runs strongly through Homer's Odyssey, in which the hero Odysseus nurtures memories of Ithaca and his family throughout his lon...

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“…Batcho, 1998;Holbrook, 1993;Routledge et al, 2008), and to address the oft-posed question of whether nostalgia can be pathological in type or in excess (cf. Kaplan, 1987;Peters, 1985).…”

Section: Limitations and Future Research Directionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Odyssey's end: Lay conceptions of nostalgia reflect its original homeric meaning.

Hepper¹,

Ritchie²,

Sedikides³

et al. 2012

Emotion

Self Cite

316

574

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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“…Research indicates that people benefit from a particular view of the past: nostalgic reverie, especially when confronted with threats to perceived meaning in life, such as mortality salience (Juhl et al 2010;Routledge et al 2006) or boredom Igou 2012, 2016). Nostalgia is triggered by the desire to find meaning and it increases the perceived meaning of life (e.g.…”

Section: Implication and Future Directionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Dreaming of a Brighter Future: Anticipating Happiness Instills Meaning in Life

Tilburg

Igou

2018

J Happiness Stud

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We theorized and tested that people's predictions of their future as brighter than the present fulfill an important purpose: they give a sense of meaning to life. We systematically tested this existentialist hypothesis by adopting a self-regulatory approach. Study 1 indicates that envisioning a happier future helps people to find meaning in everyday life behaviors, provided that these are perceived to be instrumental for the pursuit of happiness. Consistently, Study 2 shows that envisioning such increases in future happiness is particularly employed by those who are prone to seek meaning in life. Finally, Study 3 reveals that after people envision a brighter future their perceived meaning in life increases, and it does so especially for those prone to search for meaning in life. Together, these studies suggest that imagining future happiness in part serves the function of perceiving life as meaningful. This research is novel, and builds on and contributes to the literature on meaning making, happiness, well-being, and affective forecasting.

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“…That is, manipulations of nostalgia have asked individuals to recall any event that makes them feel nostalgic (e.g., Wildschut et al, 2006, Studies 5-7). Measures of nostalgia assess the extent to which participants are generally experiencing this emotion rather than in relation to specific targets (e.g., Routledge et al, 2008;Zhou et al, 2008;Wildschut et al, 2006). We suspect that, as a consequence of this procedure, participants in these studies may simply be choosing positive targets that allow for high levels of identity continuity.…”

Section: Explaining the Positive Consequences Of Nostalgia: Identitymentioning

confidence: 99%

What's left behind: Identity continuity moderates the effect of nostalgia on well-being and life choices.

Iyer

Jetten

2011

Journal of Personality and Social Psychology

133

125

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Previous research has demonstrated that nostalgia for the past can have positive consequences for individuals' psychological well-being and their perceived ability to cope with challenges in the present (Wildschut, Sedikides, Arndt, & Routledge, 2006). We propose that this effect is limited to circumstances in which individuals have maintained identity continuity between the past and the present. Support for this moderation hypothesis is obtained in a longitudinal survey (Study 1) and two experiments (Studies 2 and 3) among students entering university. Whereas previously observed positive effects of nostalgia were confirmed when identity continuity had been maintained, feeling nostalgic about the past in the context of lower identity continuity had negative consequences for well-being (Studies 1 and 3), perceived ability to cope with challenges (Studies 1 and 2), and interest in new opportunities (Studies 2 and 3) rather than focusing on familiar experiences (Study 3). Taken together, results indicate that the extent to which individuals view the present as linked to the past has important implications for the outcome of their nostalgia.

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A blast from the past: The terror management function of nostalgia

Cited by 325 publications

References 30 publications

Odyssey's end: Lay conceptions of nostalgia reflect its original homeric meaning.

Odyssey's end: Lay conceptions of nostalgia reflect its original homeric meaning.

Dreaming of a Brighter Future: Anticipating Happiness Instills Meaning in Life

What's left behind: Identity continuity moderates the effect of nostalgia on well-being and life choices.

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