Nostalgia as a Resource for the Self Academic Article uri icon

abstract

  • This research tested whether nostalgia serves as a positive resource for the self. In Experiment 1, nostalgia was induced and the accessibility of positive self-attributes was assessed. Participants who thought about a nostalgic experience, relative to those who thought about a positive future experience, evidenced heightened accessibility of positive self-attributes. In Experiment 2, participants received negative or positive performance feedback and then thought about a nostalgic or ordinary past experience. Subsequently, they were given the opportunity to make internal attributions for their performance. Participants displayed a typical pattern of self-serving attributions if they were not given the opportunity to engage in nostalgia. Nostalgic engagement, however, attenuated this effect. Nostalgia indeed functions as a positive resource for the self. 2012 Copyright Taylor and Francis Group, LLC.

published proceedings

  • SELF AND IDENTITY

altmetric score

  • 39.258

author list (cited authors)

  • Vess, M., Arndt, J., Routledge, C., Sedikides, C., & Wildschut, T.

citation count

  • 148

complete list of authors

  • Vess, Matthew||Arndt, Jamie||Routledge, Clay||Sedikides, Constantine||Wildschut, Tim

publication date

  • January 2012