Nostalgia, Ritual Engagement, and Meaning in Life

Abstract

Rituals are pervasive and beneficial. Little is known, however, about causes or antecedents of ritual engagement. We hypothesized that nostalgia—a sentimental longing for one’s past—promotes ritual engagement, which in turn augments meaning in life. We tested this hypothesis in five methodologically diverse studies. In Study 1 ( N = 311), nostalgia was positively associated with ritual engagement. In Study 2 ( N = 188), nostalgia promoted ritual engagement, and in Study 3 ( N = 296), it did so over engagement in a neutral task. In Study 4 ( N = 252), nostalgia predicted later ritual engagement but not vice versa, convergent with Studies 2 and 3. Furthermore, nostalgia prospectively predicted meaning in life through specific ritualistic behaviors during a traditional festival. Finally, in Study 5 ( N = 166), experimentally manipulated ritual engagement augmented meaning in life. As hypothesized, nostalgia advances ritual engagement, contributing to a meaningful life.