Nostalgia works much the same way around the world. In a study of 2,606 young adults in 28 countries and Hong Kong, recalling a fond memory made people feel more socially connected, more continuous with their past selves and more sure that life has meaning, in every culture tested.
The study was carried out by an international team of 38 researchers led by Erica G. Hepper, with Constantine Sedikides and Tim Wildschut among the co-authors. It was published online in the Journal of Experimental Psychology: General on January 22, 2024, and appears in the March 2024 issue.
Testing nostalgia beyond the West
Nostalgia is a bittersweet but mostly positive emotion that arises when people reflect on fond past memories. Most research on it has come from a handful of Western countries. The team set out to see whether it plays the same role elsewhere.
They measured how prone people were to nostalgia, asked what triggered it, and ran an experiment in which participants recalled either a nostalgic memory or an ordinary one.
What sets it off depends on where you live
Nostalgia was common everywhere, though people in wealthier countries with longer life expectancy valued it more. Psychological threats triggered it, especially in warmer countries. Sensory stimuli were bigger triggers in more developed countries, while social gatherings mattered more in less developed ones.
The mood boost or dip from recalling a nostalgic memory varied by country but was mild overall. The key benefits held across cultures: more social connectedness, self-continuity and meaning in life.
In less developed countries, recalling an ordinary memory also delivered some of these benefits, which shrank nostalgia’s relative advantage there. And in countries with lower life expectancy and life satisfaction, a nostalgic memory also raised people’s momentary satisfaction with life.
Study Details:
- Title: Pancultural nostalgia in action: Prevalence, triggers, and psychological functions of nostalgia across cultures
- Authors: Erica G. Hepper, Constantine Sedikides, Tim Wildschut, Wing Yee Cheung, Georgios Abakoumkin, Gizem Arikan, Mark Aveyard, Einar B. Baldursson, Olga Bialobrzeska, Sana Bouamama, Imed Bouzaouech, Marco Brambilla, Axel M. Burger, Sylvia Xiaohua Chen, Sylwia Cisek, Didier Demassosso, Lucía Estevan-Reina, Roberto González Gutiérrez, Li Gu, Rita Guerra, Nina Hansen, Shanmukh Kamble, Takashi Kusumi, Camille Mangelinckx, Veronika V. Nourkova, Élena Pinna, Aino Rantasila, Timothy D. Ritchie, Albina B. Salikhova, Elena Stephan, Mihaela Sterian, Yuk-yue Tong, Suzanne Van Even, Normando José Queiroz Viana, Ad Vingerhoets, Courtney von Hippel, Artem S. Zatsepin, Bettina Zengel
- Journal: Journal of Experimental Psychology: General
- Publication Date: January 22, 2024
- DOI: 10.1037/xge0001521