• DOI:10.1080/15298868.2010.521452
• Corpus ID: 56018071

Nostalgia as a Resource for the Self

@article{Vess2012NostalgiaAA,
  title={Nostalgia as a Resource for the Self},
  author={Matthew Vess and Jamie Arndt and Clay D Routledge and Constantine Sedikides and Tim Wildschut},
  journal={Self and Identity},
  year={2012},
  volume={11},
  pages={273 - 284}
}

• Matthew Vess, J. Arndt, +2 authors T. Wildschut
• Published 1 July 2012
• Psychology
• Self and Identity

This research tested whether nostalgia serves as a positive resource for the self. In Experiment 1, nostalgia was induced and the accessibility of positive self-attributes was assessed. Participants who thought about a nostalgic experience, relative to those who thought about a positive future experience, evidenced heightened accessibility of positive self-attributes. In Experiment 2, participants received negative or positive performance feedback and then thought about a nostalgic or ordinary past experience. Subsequently, they were given the opportunity to make internal attributions for their performance. Participants displayed a typical pattern of self-serving attributions if they were not given the opportunity to engage in nostalgia. Nostalgic engagement, however, attenuated this effect. Nostalgia indeed functions as a positive resource for the self.