Remembering Together: The Importance of Shared Emotional Memory in Event Experiences

Abstract

Drawing on the wider literature in the psychology and sociology of emotions and memory this study provides new insights into the formation and role of shared emotion in the memory of event experiences. The methodology draws together several data collection methods in order to capture the complexity of emotional response. Thick data are gathered from a single case study friendship pair using a combination of short surveys, physiological measures, photo elicitation, and paired interviews to provide a detailed understanding of the experience from anticipation to recollection and reflection to response. The longitudinal data show that what was felt at the time changes considerably in recollection often becoming more intense as time passes and it is the act of sharing these memories that appears to intensify and alter them. This suggests that the often flawed and certainly mediated memory of the experience has a more influential role to play in attitude formation than previously thought. Furthermore, it is the desire for a feeling of emotional congruity that creates and strengthens this emotional response in remembering. Therefore, the mediated memory of the attendee experience has more influence on behavior than the reality of the experience. It is recommended that event marketers use this understanding to design opportunities, beyond the experience, in which memories can be created and shared.

I Remember How We All Felt: Perceived Emotional Synchrony through Tourist Memory Sharing

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“…Although conceptual there is already some evidence for the process described here. For example, Wood and Kenyon's (2018) festival memories longitudinal study drew a number of 33 pertinent conclusions. These can be summarised as 1) memory detail (not accuracy) increases with time -false memories are subconsciously created through sharing and other experiences.…”

The event experience, hedonic and eudaimonic satisfaction and subjective well-being among sport event participants

“…O'Sullivan and Spangler (1998) describe experiences as having different levels of physical, mental, emotional, social, and spiritual activity. Christou, Sharpley, and Farmaki (2018) and Wood and Kenyon (2018) identified a link between emotions and satisfaction. Lazarus (1991) supports these findings by concluding that positive emotional experiences increase the likeliness that people perceive their lives as positive and desirable.…”

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“…This is perhaps surprising when others highlight the importance of memory in collective value creation and vibrant brand communities (Schau et al, 2009) and of the lasting narratives created from tourism experiences (Arnould and Price, 1993;Tung and Ritchie, 2011). Collective narratives are often formed around music memories (Van Dijck, 2006) and this is likely to be more intense when the musical experience was shared, as happens in an event setting (Wood and Kenyon, 2018). Manthiou et al (2014), in one of the few empirical studies into festival memory, found a strong relationship between the creation of vivid memories during the experience, and subsequent loyalty.…”