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The Past Makes the Present Meaningful: Nostalgia as an Existential Resource

American Psychological Association
Journal of Personality and Social Psychology
Authors:
Clay Routledge at Archbridge Institute
Clay Routledge
  • Archbridge Institute
Jamie Arndt
Jamie Arndt
Jamie Arndt
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Tim Wildschut at University of Southampton
Tim Wildschut
Constantine Sedikides at University of Southampton
Constantine Sedikides
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The present research tested the proposition that nostalgia serves an existential function by bolstering a sense of meaning in life. Study 1 found that nostalgia was positively associated with a sense of meaning in life. Study 2 experimentally demonstrated that nostalgia increases a sense of meaning in life. In both studies, the link between nostalgia and increased meaning in life was mediated by feelings of social connectedness. Study 3 evidenced that threatened meaning increases nostalgia. Study 4 illustrated that nostalgia, in turn, reduces defensiveness following a meaning threat. Finally, Studies 5 and 6 showed that nostalgia disrupts the link between meaning deficits and compromised psychological well-being. Collectively, these findings indicate that the provision of existential meaning is a pivotal function of nostalgia.
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... Although there is no direct evidence of a link between nostalgia and psychological pain, previous research has indicated an indirect relationship between the two. Studies have shown that nostalgia can reduce death anxiety by fostering a sense of life meaning (Juhl et al. 2010;Routledge et al. 2011Routledge et al. , 2012, which serves as a buffer against the psychological pain associated with the inevitability of death. Additionally, nostalgia has been found to contribute to maintaining self-continuity and self-identity (Layous et al. 2022;Sedikides et al. 2016;Van Tilburg et al. 2019). ...
... The buffering effect of nostalgia on subjective psychological pain may be explained by its ability to enhance and uplift mood through the recollection of special memories from the past. Nostalgia has been found to stimulate positive emotional experiences (Juhl et al. 2010;Li et al. 2023;Routledge et al. 2011;Wildschut et al. 2006Wildschut et al. , 2010 and induce positive emotions such as warmth, happiness, and love. Additionally, nostalgia has been shown to improve an individual's self-esteem Wildschut et al. 2006;Vess et al. 2010;Zauberman et al. 2009), protect individuals from self-esteem threats, and play a supportive role in mitigating self-esteem threats (Zauberman et al. 2009). ...
... Additionally, nostalgia has been shown to improve an individual's self-esteem Wildschut et al. 2006;Vess et al. 2010;Zauberman et al. 2009), protect individuals from self-esteem threats, and play a supportive role in mitigating self-esteem threats (Zauberman et al. 2009). Moreover, nostalgia has been found to enhance an individual's sense of meaning and even buffer against death anxiety (Juhl et al. 2010;Routledge et al. 2008Routledge et al. , 2011Routledge et al. , 2012Van Tilburg et al. 2019). Collectively, these findings suggest that nostalgia can reduce the psychological pain caused by social exclusion. ...
Analgesics effect of nostalgia: good memories of the past makes you feel less pain
Article
Full-text available
  • Apr 2025
Psychological pain is a distressing experience that individuals often seek to alleviate through various strategies, such as social support or financial resources. In this study, we propose that nostalgia, the sentimental longing for the past, can serve as a psychological resource to buffer against psychological pain when external resources are not available. Three studies were conducted to investigate the role of nostalgia in alleviating psychological pain. Study 1 revealed that nostalgia buffered the psychological pain resulting from social exclusion. Study 2 provided evidence of nostalgia’s buffering effect on psychological pain stemming from empathy for others’ pain. Study 3 demonstrated that nostalgic reflection improved individuals’ pain threshold and increased pain tolerance. These findings suggest that nostalgia can serve as a substitute for analgesics in alleviating psychological pain. Further research is needed to uncover the underlying mechanisms through which nostalgia exerts its buffering effect on psychological pain. Understanding the role of nostalgia in pain relief has implications for interventions and strategies aimed at promoting psychological well-being and resilience.
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... The first part involved manipulating nostalgia. Following an established procedure in the literature (Routledge et al., 2011;Zhou et al., 2012), participants in the nostalgic condition were required to list four keywords related to a nostalgic event in their lives. They were then asked to briefly reflect on this event. ...
... The above theorisation about nostalgia and scarcity influencing empathy further rules out other alternate explanations. The literature on nostalgia predicts that it can drive selfcontinuity, meaning in life, approach orientation, optimism, communal orientation and sense of acceptance Sedikides and Wildschut, 2019;Sedikides and Wildschut, 2016;Van Tilburg et al., 2019;Biskas et al., 2019;Routledge et al., 2011). These alternate pathways probably do not explain why nostalgia and scarcity would influence selfless acts through any of these variables. ...
Does resource scarcity promote selfish or selfless behaviours? A nuanced perspective through the lens of nostalgia
Article
Full-text available
  • Mar 2025
Purpose Past literature shows that resource scarcity can promote self-oriented behaviours while suppressing other-focused behaviours. This paper aims to study how nostalgia can encourage other-focused behaviours in the face of resource scarcity based on its restorative and social properties. Design/methodology/approach The authors test the hypotheses across different contexts of prosocial behaviour: Study 1 ( n = 298) measured intention to donate to a charity; Study 2 ( n = 491) measured actual donations to charity; Study 3 ( n = 290) introduced a pandemic-induced scarcity situation, while Study 4 ( n = 360) introduced managerial realism. Findings In the presence of nostalgia, the authors found that exposure to scarce (vs. non-scarce) resources encouraged higher intention to donate, promoted actual donations, motivated less stockpiling behaviour and adhered to purchase restrictions for a scarce commodity. This was reversed without nostalgia, and when subjects experienced scarce (vs. non-scarce) resources. The combined effect of nostalgia and scarcity was mediated through empathy. Research limitations/implications Future research can delve into different ways of manipulating nostalgia (e.g. through music, images and scent) to supplement the manipulation of recalling nostalgic events. The current research has implications for nostalgia and scarcity theory by demonstrating how nostalgia can influence pro-social behaviours to encourage sharing limited resources. Practical implications This work’s findings have several implications for practice since scarcity is ubiquitous and often experienced daily. For example, during times of scarcity (e.g. during an economic recession), promotional campaigns that incorporate nostalgic moments can be designed to encourage pro-social behaviours (e.g. charity). Originality/value The conceptual model proposed in the current work is novel and has not been studied before. In terms of methodology, this research uses a unique “manipulation of mediator” design along with the conventional “measurement of mediator” design to provide rigorous causal evidence for the underpinning process.
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... In addition, these existential benefits of nostalgia are social in nature. Specifically, feelings of love and belongingness (to place) mediate the relationships between nostalgia and meaning in life (Routledge et al., 2011) and individuals are most likely to view nostalgia as a source of comfort, inspiration, meaning, and guidance if their nostalgic memories are focused on close relationships (Routledge, 2023a). In short, a growing literature on the psychology of nostalgia suggests that love of place is strongly connected to the love of people associated with that place. ...
Love of Place: Conceptual framework and template for measuring the contributory and unitive affection towards a place
Article
Full-text available
  • May 2025
This paper examines the construct of 'love of place'-a deep connection with a significant place (unitive love) and a desire to see it flourish (contributory love), which is distinct from and extends beyond traditional notions of place attachment, nostalgia, or belonging that are common in the literature on place. Drawing from interdisciplinary perspectives, including environmental psychology , urban studies, and cultural geography, we explore how individuals form deep affections to places that shape their admiration, care, and a sense of reverence or affection for a significant place. Using the Delphi method, a panel of experts and scholars with expertise on love, place, or the intersection between the two formed the basis for the thematic analysis, which helped refine the construct across seven core dimensions: identity, emotional attachment, biophilic connection, sacred spaces, communal harmony, and heritage. We operationalized each dimension according to unitive and contributory domains, emphasizing how this framing of love might foster personal and collective flourishing. Our findings highlight how environmental changes,in some cases leading to solastalgia, disrupt the spatial affections associated with some expressions or manifestations of love of place. Unlike related constructs, the contributory aspect of love of place involves a desire to contribute to the good of a place, akin to how people express unconditional love for individuals. We argue that a key difference lies in the nature of the affections involved. Love of place invokes deeper emotional and existential elements, as well as aspects beyond emotions, while an emotion like place attachment, for example, may focus more on functionality and familiarity. Our proposed framework of love of place offers a new lens for exploring place-related experiences and could inform future research on spatial affection and environmental stewardship.
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... 2006 Nostalgia nostalgia Hepper et al., 2012Hepper et al., 2021 1A 2021 nostalgia nostalgia e.g., Oba et al., 2016 e.g., Barrett et al., 2010e.g., Wildschut et al., 2006Zhou et al., 2008 van Tilburg et al., 2013 Sedikides, Wildschut, Davis, 1979Milligan, 2003Lampinen et al., 2004Davis 1979Davis, 1979Davis 1979 Best & Nelson 1985 ...
The influence of self-discontinuity on nostalgia: A conceptual replication of Sedikides, Wildschut, Routledge, & Arndt (2015)なつかしさに自己不連続性が与える影響—Sedikides, Wildschut, Routledge, & Arndt （2015）の概念的追試—
Article
  • Feb 2025
This study is a conceptual replication of Sedikides, Wildschut, Routledge, & Arndt (2015) findings that negative self-discontinuity correlates with nostalgia proneness in daily life and elicits more state nostalgia. In Study 1, we modified the original procedure and asked participants to indicate whether the changes in their lives were positive or negative and rate the self-discontinuity that stemmed from those changes. Although no significant correlation was observed between the number of negative changes and nostalgia proneness (.07), a significant correlation was observed between self-discontinuity and nostalgia proneness (.20). However, controlled for age, the correlation reduced slightly (.18) and was not significant. Exploratory analyses revealed that nostalgia proneness was positively correlated only with self-discontinuity due to negative life changes rather than positive ones. In Study 2A, we used the same materials as in the original study to manipulate self-discontinuity, but in Study 2B, we used new materials. The results indicate that self-discontinuity did not influence levels of state nostalgia. Overall, even though negative self-discontinuity is associated with nostalgia proneness, it does not elicit higher levels of state nostalgia.
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... Positive feelings contribute to a meaningful life and, whether experienced or induced, positive affect enhances meaning in life (King & Hicks, 2021). In addition, discrete positive emotions, including nostalgia (Routledge et al., 2011), gratitude (Czyżowska & Gurba, 2022), and awe (Rivera et al., 2020), promote meaning in life. To expand the positive emotions linked to meaning in life, we tested the prediction that feeling hopeful would relate to meaning in life, using diverse methods, including cross-sectional, daily diary, longitudinal, and experimental designs. ...
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Six studies (combined N = 2,312) examined the emotion of hope as a unique and robust predictor of meaning in life. In cross-sectional data (Studies 1–2), affectice hope predicted greater meaning, controlling for other positive affect, and agency/pathways, in the majority of White U.S. samples. Utilizing a daily diary (Study 3), daily hope predicted daily meaning independent of positive emotions, in a Chinese sample. A five-wave longitudinal design (Study 4) replicated Study 3, demonstrating that hope was the only positive emotion to predict meaning in life in future waves. Finally, two experiments tested whether hopeful feelings would explain the effects of cheerful (vs. sadness) mood inductions (Study 5) or hopeful (vs. hopeless) mood inductions (Study 6) on meaning in life. Although in neither study did manipulations directly affect meaning in life, hopeful feelings showed significant indirect effects explaining the condition effects on meaning in life. The present studies support that feeling hopeful contributes to the sense that life is meaningful, controlling for other positive feelings.
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Nostalgia, a sentimental longing for one's past, confers important psychological benefits: positive affect, social connectedness, meaning in life, self‐continuity, self‐esteem, optimism, and inspiration. Is nostalgia equally beneficial in populations that have experienced a difficult upbringing? We explored boundaries of nostalgia's psychological benefits in an experiment among Gaza Strip youth ( N = 416). We hypothesized additionally that resilience would catalyse the impact of nostalgia, with high‐resilience participants benefiting more than low‐resilience ones. Nostalgia only augmented social connectedness. As hypothesized, however, resilience emerged as a moderator. Whereas nostalgia increased positive affect and social connectedness among high‐resilience individuals, it reduced positive affect, meaning in life, self‐esteem, and inspiration among low‐resilience ones. Social environmental hardship plausibly limits the reach of nostalgia's benefits.
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Select Bibliography
Chapter
  • Mar 2025
Using the prism of nostalgia, this innovative work provides a new dimension to the study of late Pahlavi Iran. Set apart from dominant scholarly discussions of the period concerned solely with the causes of the 1979 Iranian Revolution, Nostalgia in Late Pahlavi Iran offers the first study of the expressions and narratives of nostalgia from the state and wider society between 1960 and 1978. Zhand Shakibi offers both fresh understandings of the confrontation of Iranian society with rapid socio-economic, cultural, and moral changes, and the first examination of the state narratives of nostalgia that responded to these shifts. Shakibi draws comparisons with forms of nostalgia in the West, exploring how late Pahlavi Iran reflects global historical patterns during moments of social change. Through close examination of sources ranging across mass media, literature, court proceedings and state policy, Nostalgia in Late Pahlavi Iran provides a new social and political history of this period.
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  • CURR DIR PSYCHOL SCI
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Do close positive relationships function as a self-bolstering resource, armoring the self against potentially threatening information? After taking a difficult and important intellectual ability test, participants visualized a relationship that was close positive, close negative, or neutral (Experiment 1) or a relationship that was close positive, close negative, distant positive, or distant negative (Experiment 2). All participants received bogus unfavorable feedback about their performance and subsequently indicated their interest in obtaining further liability-focused information about the performance domain and the underlying intellectual ability. Participants who visualized close positive relationships expressed the highest interest in receiving such information, despite rating it as unpleasant. State self-esteem and mood did not account for this effect, although warm affect for the relational partner did. Close positive relationships function as a psychological resource that bolsters the self against feedback about a newly discovered liability to the point where receptivity to additional liability-relevant information actually increases.
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