Assessing the Functionality, Triggers, and Emotional Consequences of Nostalgia in a Lifespan Sample: An Experience-Sampling Study
Year: 2020
Type: article
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: Nostalgia, or the fond remembrance of one's past, is a common experience hypothesized to increase across the lifespan.Though nostalgic remembrance has been conceptualized as ubiquitous, its specific features (e.g., frequency, environment, and affect) have yet to be examined.The current study, using a lifespan sample, sought to address this limitation in the literature by assessing the daily experience of nostalgia with the overarching goals of clarifying the emotional outcomes, situational triggers, and overall frequency of occurrence.A total sample of 108 participants (47 young, 31 middle-aged, and 30 older adults) completed a two-week, twice-daily experience-sampling study that yielded quantitative data describing the frequency and emotional consequences of nostalgic episodes, as well as details about environmental triggers (i.e., social partners, location, and activity).Audio recordings of participants' descriptions of nostalgia were coded into specific categories and subjected to content analysis.Nostalgia was found to increase in a linear manner across the lifespan with young adults reporting the least likelihood of experiencing daily nostalgia, while older adults reported the most.The experience of nostalgia was further associated with both positive and negative affective outcomes for all ages, but older adults reported even more negative affect, perhaps demonstrating a link between poignancy and nostalgia.Triggers of nostalgia were found to be primarily idiosyncratic regarding activity and location, however middle-aged adults were the most likely to report being with social partners during their nostalgic experience.This research was the first to document age differences in the frequency and experience of nostalgia iv and provides increased support for the differential functions of nostalgia with age.For older adults, nostalgia may serve as a mechanism to promote self-continuity by providing a touchstone to the past, whereas for young and middle-aged adults nostalgia is a more social experience.Additionally, more qualitative differences between daily nostalgia and reminiscence were found, suggesting that nostalgia would not provide similar psychological outcomes to guided reminiscence therapies.Overall, results from this study suggest that examining nostalgia from a lifespan perspective is an important avenue for future research.
Author: Turner, Jennifer Renee
Language: English
Subfield: Social Psychology
Field: Psychology
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W7008076767