Nostalgia: A potential pathway to greater well-being

Nostalgia is a bittersweet-yet predominantly positive-emotion felt when one reflects on personally meaningful memories, especially those that are shared with close others. Research demonstrates that nostalgizing can promote well-being, but nostalgic reflection is not often discussed among other cognitive and behavioral strategies used to enhance long-term well-being (i.e., Positive Psychology Interventions [PPIs]). Accumulating evidence shows that PPIs increase well-being, and we think that nostalgizing should be considered among these types of practices. We discuss the mechanisms by which nostalgizing may promote well-being over time, as well as the potential boundary conditions of this effect. Lastly, we present evidence that nostalgia's bittersweet character does not undermine its ability to promote well-being over time.