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These positive effects may result from the specific experimental procedures used and little is known about daily experiences that covary with nostalgia. When manipulated in an experimental paradigm, nostalgia increases meaning in life, self-esteem, optimism, and positive affect. When measured as an individual difference, nostalgia-prone individuals report greater meaning in life and approach temperament. Recent empirical research, however, has highlighted positive effects of nostalgia, suggesting it is a predominantly positive emotion. Nostalgia and well-being in daily life: An ecological validity perspective Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. “Nostalgia and well-being in daily life: An ecological validity perspective”. “But in most situations in daily life, feeling nostalgic may not feel very pleasant.” “Deliberately engaging in the recollection of extremely nostalgic moments may improve well-being,” he said. “The results from these studies stand in sharp contrast to the prevailing conclusion from previous research, which had indicated that nostalgia is a mixed but predominantly positive emotion,” Newman said. People were likely to feel nostalgic on days “when they had helped others, were reminded of old friendships or music, felt inspired and engaged in social media use,” the psychologists wrote.īased on their analyses of the findings, Newman and colleagues concluded that nostalgia is a mixed emotion - but the mix is decidedly negative in day-to-day life. They also felt less peaceful and calm and expressed more rumination on the following day.Īlthough people tend to feel nostalgic when they have had negative experiences, the team of psychologists found another surprising positive correlation.

On days when people felt nostalgic, they reported feeling more stressed, depressed and lonely expressed more regret and rumination were less satisfied with their life and reported lower self-esteem. “These negative experiences colored nostalgia in a negative light,” Newman said. Nostalgia, long believed to be a generally positive emotion, may in fact have its roots in negative feelings. People were likely to feel nostalgic when things were going wrong in the present. They also asked about events that could potentially evoke feelings of nostalgia, such as whether the participants had heard a song on the radio that they hadn’t heard in a while. These diary studies included questions about whether they had positive or negative interactions with friends or acquaintances, experienced positive moments of achievement or negative moments, such as falling behind on course work. The psychologists asked about 230 undergraduate students, in exchange for course credit, to complete daily questionnaires for 14 days. So, the USC Dornsife team conducted several studies that capture how frequently people may feel nostalgic and how intense their feelings are in daily life. “They think of a pleasant past experience, and the memories they bring to mind have a positive influence on how they see their own life.” “When people are asked to describe something that makes them feel very nostalgic, the positive elements dominate,” Newman said. The approach overlooks the fact that people may have different nostalgic feelings or memories every day, depending on whether they are experiencing a good day or a bad day, and that those feelings can vary in intensity. However, the USC Dornsife team thought that approach tends to result in people recalling a unique and overly positive, fond memory. In prior studies on nostalgia, participants were asked to recall a past event that makes them feel most nostalgic. We found that people are most likely to think of the good old days when something goes wrong in the present.” candidate at USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences. “Nostalgia is a mixed emotion,” said David Newman, the study’s lead author and a Ph.D.

Just like in Bruce Springsteen’s nostalgic song Glory Days, people look back to the good times when they feel dissatisfied with their current life. But USC Dornsife psychologists have found the opposite may be true. When experienced over the course of daily life, nostalgia is predominantly a negative emotion.įor years, research has shown that nostalgia is a primarily positive emotion that can lift people’s spirits. Summary: While generally associated with positive feeling, nostalgia is actually a mixed emotion.