Research Article
How nostalgia infuses life with meaning: From social connectedness to self-continuity
Wijnand A. P. van Tilburg,
Constantine Sedikides,
Tim Wildschut,
Ad J. J. M. Vingerhoets,
Corresponding Author
Wijnand A. P. van Tilburg
Department of Psychology, King's College London, London, UK
Correspondence
Wijnand A.P. van Tilburg, Department of Psychology, King's College London, Guy's Campus, Addison House Room 2.12, London SE1 1UL, UK.
E-mail: [email protected]
Search for more papers by this authorConstantine Sedikides
Psychology Department, Center for Research on Self and Identity, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK
Search for more papers by this authorTim Wildschut
Psychology Department, Center for Research on Self and Identity, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK
Search for more papers by this authorAd J. J. M. Vingerhoets
Psychology Department, Tilburg University, Tilburg, The Netherlands
Search for more papers by this authorWijnand A. P. van Tilburg,
Constantine Sedikides,
Tim Wildschut,
Ad J. J. M. Vingerhoets,
Corresponding Author
Wijnand A. P. van Tilburg
Department of Psychology, King's College London, London, UK
Correspondence
Wijnand A.P. van Tilburg, Department of Psychology, King's College London, Guy's Campus, Addison House Room 2.12, London SE1 1UL, UK.
E-mail: [email protected]
Search for more papers by this authorConstantine Sedikides
Psychology Department, Center for Research on Self and Identity, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK
Search for more papers by this authorTim Wildschut
Psychology Department, Center for Research on Self and Identity, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK
Search for more papers by this authorAd J. J. M. Vingerhoets
Psychology Department, Tilburg University, Tilburg, The Netherlands
Search for more papers by this authorAbstract
Nostalgia increases meaning in life (MIL), but how so? In four experiments—using varied operationalizations of nostalgia, diverse populations, and complementary methodologies—we identified a serial process. We hypothesized and found, in Experiment 1, that self-continuity boosts MIL. We hypothesized and found, in Experiment 2, that nostalgia increases MIL through self-continuity. Finally, we hypothesized and found, in Experiments 3–4, that nostalgia fosters social connectedness, which plausibly heightens self-continuity, which in turn strengthens MIL. The findings clarify an intricate pathway through which nostalgia renders life more meaningful.
Conflict of Interest
The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest. All procedures performed involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the APA Code of Conduct as well as authors’ national ethics guidelines.
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