Cited by 239Nostalgia and Consumer BehaviorIdentity, Memory, and TherapyCultural Differences and Values

Pancultural nostalgia: Prototypical conceptions across cultures.

Open access
Hepper, Erica G., Wildschut, Tim, Sedikides, Constantine, Ritchie, Timothy D., Yung, Yiu-Fai, Hansen, Nina, Abakoumkin, Georgios, Arikan, Gizem +12 more·2014·Emotion

Abstract

Nostalgia is a frequently experienced complex emotion, understood by laypersons in the United Kingdom and United States of America to (a) refer prototypically to fond, self-relevant, social memories and (b) be more pleasant (e.g., happy, warm) than unpleasant (e.g., sad, regretful). This research examined whether people across cultures conceive of nostalgia in the same way. Students in 18 countries across 5 continents (N = 1,704) rated the prototypicality of 35 features of nostalgia. The samples showed high levels of agreement on the rank-order of features. In all countries, participants rated previously identified central (vs. peripheral) features as more prototypical of nostalgia, and showed greater interindividual agreement regarding central (vs. peripheral) features. Cluster analyses revealed subtle variation among groups of countries with respect to the strength of these pancultural patterns. All except African countries manifested the same factor structure of nostalgia features. Additional exemplars generated by participants in an open-ended format did not entail elaboration of the existing set of 35 features. Findings identified key points of cross-cultural agreement regarding conceptions of nostalgia, supporting the notion that nostalgia is a pancultural emotion.

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Crossref · 10.1037/a0036790

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  • Nostalgia is a cross-cultural experience.

    “Prior research has demonstrated that nostalgia is a cross-cultural experience (Hepper et al., 2014).”
  • Laypeople in many cultures conceptualize nostalgia similarly as a past-oriented, social, self-relevant, and bittersweet emotion, but more sweet (positively toned) than bitter (negatively toned).

    “Laypeople in many cultures conceptualize nostalgia similarly: as a past-oriented, social, self-relevant, and bittersweet emotion, but more sweet (positively toned) than bitter (negatively toned).”

    From Nostalgia across cultures (2022) · cites this paper as Hepper et al., 2014

  • Hepper et al. (2014) found high cross-cultural agreement on the prototypicality of nostalgia features, suggesting that conceptions of nostalgia are pancultural.

    “Cross-cultural agreement was high on the prototypicality of nostalgia features. This fi nding suggests that conceptions of nostalgia are pancultural.”

    From Nostalgia across cultures (2022) · cites this paper as Hepper et al., 2014

  • Pooled factor analysis of the nostalgia prototype revealed three factors: longing for the past (12 central cognitive/motivation features), negative affect (8 peripheral features), and positive affect (8 central/peripheral features); across cultures, longing for the past was rated most central, positive affect next, and negative affect least central.

    “Next, the researchers pooled the correlation matrices across countries (except Cameroon, Ethiopia, and Uganda) and then factor-analyzed the combined matrix, revealing three factors. Factor 1 contained 12 central nostalgia features focusing on cognitive content (e.g., memory) and motivation (e.g., longing); it was labeled longing for the past . Factor 2 included eight peripheral features focusing”

    From Nostalgia across cultures (2022) · cites this paper as Hepper et al., 2014

  • Hepper et al. (2014) found high cross-cultural consistency in the interrelations among nostalgia features; all but three African countries (Cameroon, Ethiopia, Uganda) formed a single cluster, with more similarities than differences between these three and the rest.

    “The degree of crosscultural consistency in the interrelations among nostalgia features was high. That is, all but three African countries (i.e., Cameroon, Ethiopia, Uganda) formed a single cluster, with ancillary analyses revealing more similarities than differences between these three countries and the rest.”

    From Nostalgia across cultures (2022) · cites this paper as Hepper et al., 2014

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Authors
Hepper, E. G., Wildschut, T., Sedikides, C., Ritchie, T. D., Yung, Y.-F., Hansen, N., Abakoumkin, G., Arikan, G., Cisek, S. Z., Demassosso, D. B., Gebauer, J. E., Gerber, J. P., González, R., Kusumi, T., Misra, G., Rusu, M., Ryan, O., Stephan, E., Vingerhoets, A. J. J., & Zhou, X.
Affiliations
  • University of Southampton (GB)
  • University of Limerick (IE)
  • SAS Institute (United States) (US)
  • University of Groningen (NL)
  • University of Thessaly (GR)
  • Université de Yaoundé I (CM)
  • Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin (DE)
  • Macquarie University (AU)
  • Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile (CL)
  • Kyoto University (JP)
  • University of Delhi (IN)
  • Alexandru Ioan Cuza University (RO)
  • Bar-Ilan University (IL)
  • Tilburg University (NL)
  • Sun Yat-sen University (CN)
Venue
Emotion
Published
2014
Volume
14
Issue
4
Pages
733-747
ISSN
  • 1528-3542 (ISSN-L)
  • 1931-1516
OpenAlex
W2141198037
Cited by
237
References
95
Citations by year
2026: 16 · 2025: 23 · 2024: 29 · 2023: 23 · 2022: 24 · 2021: 20 · 2020: 17 · 2019: 18 · 2018: 19 · 2017: 17 · 2016: 13 · 2015: 9 · 2014: 8 · 2013: 1
FWCI
23.22
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
other-oa
Locations
  • Emotion (publishedVersion)
  • Research portal (Tilburg University) (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • Research at the University of Copenhagen (University of Copenhagen) (publishedVersion)
  • ePrints Soton (University of Southampton) (acceptedVersion)
  • Surrey Research Insight Open Access (The University of Surrey) (submittedVersion)
  • Data Archiving and Networked Services (DANS) (submittedVersion)
  • eResearch@Ozyegin (submittedVersion)
  • University of Thessaly Institutional Repository (University of Thessaly) (submittedVersion)
  • University of Groningen research database (University of Groningen / Centre for Information Technology) (submittedVersion, other-oa)
  • University of Groningen research database (University of Groningen / Centre for Information Technology) (submittedVersion)
Funders
  • Economic and Social Research Council (RES-000-22-3110)
  • National Natural Science Foundation of China (91124004, 31171002)
  • Sun Yat-Sen University (985-3)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Nostalgia and Consumer Behavior
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Developmental and Educational Psychology › Identity, Memory, and Therapy
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Cultural Differences and Values
Keywords
nostalgia, cross-cultural universality, prototypicality, cross-cultural comparison
MeSH terms
Adult, Cross-Cultural Comparison, Cultural Characteristics, Emotions, Female, United Kingdom, Humans, Male, Memory, Students, United States, Cluster Analysis, Young Adult

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