title: Nostalgia fosters self-continuity: Uncovering the mechanism (social connectedness) and consequence (eudaimonic well-being).
abstract: Nostalgia, a sentimental longing for one's past, is an emotion that arises from self-relevant and social memories. Nostalgia functions, in part, to foster self-continuity, that is, a sense of connection between one's past and one's present. This article examined, in 6 experiments, how nostalgia fosters self-continuity and the implications of that process for well-being. Nostalgia fosters self-continuity by augmenting social connectedness, that is, a sense of belongingness and acceptance (Experiments 1-4). Nostalgia-induced self-continuity, in turn, confers eudaimonic well-being, operationalized as subjective vitality (i.e., a feeling of aliveness and energy; Experiments 5-6). The findings clarify and expand the benefits of nostalgia for both the self-system and psychological adjustment. (PsycINFO Database Record
authors.affiliation: School of Psychology, University of Southampton.
authors.forename: Constantine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Sedikides
authors.affiliation: School of Psychology, University of Southampton.
authors.forename: Tim
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Wildschut
authors.affiliation: School of Psychology, University of Southampton.
authors.forename: Wing-Yee
authors.initials: WY
authors.lastname: Cheung
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, North Dakota State University.
authors.forename: Clay
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Routledge
authors.affiliation: School of Psychology, University of Surrey.
authors.forename: Erica G
authors.initials: EG
authors.lastname: Hepper
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychological Sciences, University of Missouri.
authors.forename: Jamie
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Arndt
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Cleveland State University.
authors.forename: Kenneth
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Vail
authors.affiliation: Department of Management, Lingnan College.
authors.forename: Xinyue
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.affiliation: School of Psychology, University of Southampton.
authors.forename: Kenny
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Brackstone
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical and Clinical Psychology, Tilburg University.
authors.forename: Ad J J M
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Vingerhoets
mesh_terms: D004644:Emotions / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D012919:Social Behavior