title: An exercise in nostalgia: Nostalgia promotes health optimism and physical activity.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Previous research has shown that nostalgia, a sentimental longing for the past, leads to greater feelings of optimism, with other work demonstrating that optimistic thinking (general & health-orientated) is associated with better physical and psychological health. Integrating these two lines of research, the current studies examined whether nostalgia-induced health optimism promotes attitudes and behaviours associated with better physical well-being.
  
  
  METHODS
  Participants, in three experiments, were randomly assigned to write about either a nostalgic or ordinary event. Following this, everyone completed a measure of health optimism (Studies 1-3), measures of health attitudes (Study 2) and had their physical activity monitored over the course of 2 weeks (Study 3).
  
  
  RESULTS
  The results revealed that, in comparison to control conditions, nostalgic reverie led to greater health optimism (Studies 1-3). Further, heightened health optimism following nostalgic reflection led to more positive health attitudes (Study 2), and increased physical activity over a two-week period (i.e. Fitbit activity trackers; Study 3).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These findings highlight the importance of nostalgia on health attitudes and behaviours. Specifically, this work suggests that nostalgia can be used as a mechanism to increase the importance, perceived efficacy and behaviour associated with better physical health.
authors.affiliation: a Department of Psychology , Texas Christian University , Fort Worth , TX , USA.
authors.forename: Mike
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kersten
authors.affiliation: a Department of Psychology , Texas Christian University , Fort Worth , TX , USA.
authors.forename: Cathy R
authors.initials: CR
authors.lastname: Cox
authors.affiliation: a Department of Psychology , Texas Christian University , Fort Worth , TX , USA.
authors.forename: Erin A
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: Van Enkevort
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001294:Attitude to Health; D015444:Exercise; D005260:Female; D006293:Health Promotion / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D061212:Memory, Episodic; D000067656:Optimism; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: health behaviour; health optimism; nostalgia; physical health; well-being