Exploring Nostalgia's Influence on Psychological Growth

AbstractPrior research shows that the experience of nostalgia—a sentimental longing for the past—serves to buffer self-threat. Complementing this work, the current research assessed the possibility that nostalgia promotes psychological growth—that is, the potential to cultivate inner potentialities, seek out optimal challenges, and integrate new experiences into the self-concept. Two studies tested the effect of experimentally induced nostalgia on growth-oriented self-perceptions and behavioral intentions. To examine whether this effect reflects growth in particular, we built on Fredrickson's (1998, 2001) claim that positive emotion is the prime mechanism underlying growth-promoting experiences. As predicted, nostalgia increased growth outcomes indirectly by increasing positive emotion (Study 1). Study 2 explored which specific psychological resource provided by nostalgia accounts for its positive effect on growth. Prior literature suggested three candidate mediators: belongingness, meaning in life, and positive self-regard. Nostalgia increased all three, but only positive self-regard mediated nostalgia's effect on growth outcomes.Keywords:: NostalgiaGrowthMotivationBroaden-and-build theory AcknowledgementsThis research was supported in part by an NSF Graduate Student Research Fellowship awarded to the first author.Notes1. Due to significant correlations among the mediator variables, we were concerned that including all of the mediators in a simultaneous mediation model would lead to issues related to multicolinearity (e.g., inflated standard error estimates). Therefore, prior to testing the mediation models, we conducted two multiple regression analyses in which all of the mediators were included as predictors of growth-oriented self-perceptions and growth-oriented behavioral intentions. In doing so, we obtained tolerance statistics and variable inflation factors (VIF) for each predictor. The analyses revealed that tolerance and VIF for each predictor were within reasonable cutoffs (i.e., tolerance>0.10, VIF < 10; see O'Brien, Citation2007), suggesting that multicolinearity was not an issue. Therefore, we proceeded with testing the simultaneous mediation models as planned.