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Cited by 26Nostalgia and Consumer BehaviorIdentity, Memory, and TherapyMemory Processes and Influences

Nostalgia relieves the disillusioned mind

Open access
Maher, Paul J., Igou, Eric R., van Tilburg, Wijnand A.P.·2021·Journal of Experimental Social Psychology
DOI 10.1016/j.jesp.2020.104061
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Abstract

Disillusionment arises when life experiences strongly discredited positive assumptions or deeply help beliefs. Under these conditions, people feel lost, confused, and disconnected from their social environments. Ultimately, disillusioned individuals struggle to maintain meaning and inhabit a state of existential concern. However, the past can provide solace as a refuge of meaning and social connection. Indeed, nostalgic reflection is a commonly cited source of meaning in life. Accordingly, we investigated if disillusioned people could rely on nostalgic reverie to bolster, or reestablish, diminished perceptions of meaning, in three experiments. In Study 1, we confirmed that experimentally induced disillusionment lowers perceptions of meaning. In Study 2, induced disillusionment caused people to retrieve nostalgic events in a memory recall task, and feelings of nostalgia subsequently suppressed the effect of disillusionment on meaning in life. Finally, in Study 3, we manipulated both disillusionment and nostalgia, before measuring meaningfulness. Only disillusioned participants who did not engage in nostalgic reflection suffered meaning-loss. These results provide convergent evidence for the nostalgia-as-meaning resource hypothesis and further support the well-established psychological benefits of nostalgia. Our findings delineate a common story of our time; disillusioned citizens can replenish and reaffirm meaning in thoughts of past fondness and glory.

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  • Disillusionment, compared with a control condition, increased nostalgia, and nostalgia was positively associated with higher meaning in life.

    “Disillusionment (compared with a control condition) increased nostalgia. In turn, nostalgia was positively associated with higher meaning in life.”

    From Water From the Lake of Memory: The Regulatory Model of Nostalgia (2023) · cites this paper as Maher et al. (2021, Study 2)

  • Disillusionment, compared with a control condition, caused a larger reduction in meaningfulness when nostalgia was hampered by cognitive load than when it was not.

    “Disillusionment (compared with a control condition) caused a larger reduction in meaningfulness when nostalgia was hampered by cognitive load than when it was not.”

    From Water From the Lake of Memory: The Regulatory Model of Nostalgia (2023) · cites this paper as Maher et al. (2021, Study 3)

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Authors
Maher, P. J., Igou, E. R., & van Tilburg, W. A. P.
Affiliations
University of Limerick (IE)
Corresponding author
Maher, Paul J.
ORCID
Venue
Journal of Experimental Social Psychology
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Published
2021-01
Volume
92
Pages
104061
ISSN
0022-1031 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.1016/j.jesp.2020.104061
OpenAlex
W3093096741
Cited by
26
References
113
Citations by year
2025: 4 · 2024: 7 · 2023: 9 · 2022: 6
FWCI
4.10
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
Locations
  • Journal of Experimental Social Psychology (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • Open Access at Essex (University of Essex) (acceptedVersion)
  • University of Limerick Institutional Repository (University of Limerick) (acceptedVersion, cc-by-nc-sa)
  • University of Limerick Institutional Repository (University of Limerick) (acceptedVersion, other-oa)
  • Arrow@dit (Dublin Institute of Technology) (submittedVersion, cc-by-nc-sa)
  • Figshare (submittedVersion, cc-by-nc-sa)
  • University of Limerick Institutional Repository (University of Limerick)
Funders
Irish Research Council
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Nostalgia and Consumer Behavior
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Developmental and Educational Psychology › Identity, Memory, and Therapy
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Memory Processes and Influences
Keywords
nostalgia, disillusionment, meaning in life, meaninglessness, memory retrieval, social connectedness, psychological well-being

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