Nostalgic memories tend to become more soft to make over time, as indicated in a new study published in Cognition and emotion.
Nostalgia is described as a sentimental desire for the past. Previous research has revealed that nostalgic reflection can promote psychological advantages such as social connectivity, self-construity and optimism. However, although nostalgia is generally considered positive, it is also tinged with sadness, and we know little about how its emotional signature changes over time.
Tim Wildschut and his colleagues examined whether the affect (emotion) associated with nostalgic memories fades or intensifies over time, and how this temporal trajectory differs from other types of memories.
The researchers explored this question using a frame known as the bias affect discoloration, which shows that negative emotions are generally more than positive when people remember past events. The team has conducted two experiences to see if nostalgic events follow this scheme or if it presents a distinct trajectory – in particular, if nostalgic events become less positive and more negative over time, and how this change is linked to specific emotions such as regret or loneliness.
In experience 1, 199 that the university’s undergraduate students have been randomly assigned to reflect on a nostalgic or ordinary event. After recalling the event, the participants evaluated how positive and negative they felt at the time of the event of the event and at the time of the recall. They also carried out scales evaluating six psychological advantages (for example, social connectivity, meaning in life). All procedures have been completed online.
In Experience 2, 197, Mturk workers were responsible for recalling a nostalgic event or an emotionally neutral event. Participants once again evaluated their emotions at the same time at the time of the event and to the recall, in particular not only a positive and negative general effect, but also 13 discreet emotions (for example, gratitude, regret, loneliness). The objective was to assess how these discreet emotions have changed over time and if they helped explain changes in global effects.
In the two experiences, nostalgic memories diverged the typical discoloration of the discoloration of the bias. Rather than becoming more emotionally neutral, nostalgic events have become less positive and more negative over time. In experience 1, nostalgic events have shown a significant decrease in positive affect and the increase in negative affect from occurrence to recall, while ordinary events have shown a decrease solely of negative affect, in accordance with the bias of the affect of discoloration. Nostalgic memories have also remained more positive than ordinary memories overall, especially at the time of the event, and this positivity was a plausible mediator of the psychological advantages associated with nostalgia.
Experience 2 has reproduced these results with a control group with neutral events. Nostalgic events have again shown discoloration of positive affect and intensification of negative affect over time, unlike neutral events. Mediation analyzes have suggested that emotional changes in nostalgic memories were linked to an increase in specific emotions. In particular, the increase in regret was linked to the decline in positive affect, while the increase in loneliness has mediated the increase in negative affect. Interestingly, gratitude has increased over time and was a notable exception to the trend of general discoloration, highlighting the complexity of nostalgia.
The authors note that the two studies were based on retrospective self-assessments, which can be influenced by memory. Although these conceptions are common in this area of research, potential assessments could strengthen future results.
Research, “The memory of past things: temporal change in the emotional signature of nostalgic events”, was written by Tim Wildschut, Constantine Sedidides, Bettina Zengel and John J. Skowronski.
