Bringing the past to the present: Temporal self-comparison processes moderate nostalgia’s effect on well-being

Abstract

This research tested the theory that the effect of nostalgia on well-being depends on temporal comparison processes. Five studies (N = 501) apply established models of self and social judgment and demonstrate that nostalgia is a resource for well-being when contextual variables prompt inclusion of the past self in current self-conceptions. Study 1 (n = 76) showed initial evidence that inclusion of the nostalgic (vs. ordinary) past self in the current self-concept leads to higher self-concept clarity. Study 2 (n = 78) aimed to replicate this pattern for well-being. Supporting hypotheses, recalling a nostalgic (vs. ordinary) memory led to higher psychological well-being when the past self was included in the current self-concept. Study 3 (n = 122) conceptualized inclusion as the tendency to focus on similarities (vs. differences) between the current and past selves, and experimentally demonstrated that nostalgia results in higher psychological well-being when a focus on similarities (vs. differences) is induced. Finally, Studies 4 (n = 145) and 5 (n = 80) examined broader contextual variables that were hypothesized to influence both inclusion and similarity focus mechanisms. In Study 4, recalling a nostalgic memory promoted well-being when a reflective (vs. evaluative) mindset was experimentally primed. In Study 5, individual differences in trait self-reflection moderated nostalgia’s contribution to well-being such that nostalgia (vs. control) resulted in higher well-being but particularly when trait self-reflection was high. Taken together, the current research establishes a cognitive mechanism that determines when and how nostalgia contributes to well-being and provides a richer understanding of nostalgia, temporal comparison processes, and mechanisms that maintain and enhance the self.