Nostalgia: The Gift That Keeps on Giving
Abstract
Nostalgia, a sentimental longing for a personally experienced and valued past, is a social emotion. It refers to significant others in the context of momentous life events and fosters a sense of social connectedness. On this basis, the authors hypothesized that (1) nostalgia promotes charitable intentions and behavior, and (2) this effect is mediated by empathy with the charity’s beneficiaries. Five studies assessed the effect of nostalgia on empathy, intentions to volunteer and donate, as well as tangible charitable behavior. Results were consistent with the hypotheses. Study 1 found that nostalgia increases charitable intentions. Study 2 showed that this salutary effect of nostalgia on charitable intentions is mediated by empathy (but not by personal distress). Studies 3 and 4 corroborated these finding for different charities and in diverse samples. Finally, study 5 demonstrated that nostalgia increases tangible charitable behavior. By virtue of its capacity to increase empathy, nostalgia facilitates prosocial reactions.
Integrity signals
Registry
Cites
Statistics
Claims the paper makes
Claims other papers make about this one
Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?
Nostalgia promotes prosocial attitudes and behaviors, such as cooperation, charitable donations, and prejudice reduction.
“Third, nostalgia promotes prosocial attitudes and behaviors, such as cooperation30,50, charitable donations51,52, and prejudice reduction53–56, all of which can be perceived as sociomoral concerns linked to moral values57.”
From Nostalgia increases punitiveness by intensifying moral concern (2024) · cites this paper as [52]
Nostalgia increases empathy and intentions to volunteer and donate, with empathy mediating the effect on intentions to volunteer and donate.
“Nostalgia increased both empathy and intentions to volunteer and donate. Empathy mediated the effect on intentions to volunteer and donate.”
From Nostalgia: An impactful social emotion (2023) · cites this paper as [47]
In Chinese samples, experimentally induced nostalgia increases social connectedness.
“nostalgic (vs. control) participants were more likely to make charitable donations (Zhou et al., 2012), placed their own chair closer to the one for a person they were about to meet (Stephan et al., 2014, Study 4), were more willing to come to the aid of an ostensibly clumsy experimenter (Stephan et al., 2014, Study 5), and were more eager to solicit help from a stranger when in time of need (Juhl”
From Nostalgia across cultures (2022) · cites this paper as Zhou et al., 2012
Cites
SPSS and SAS procedures for estimating indirect effects in simple mediation models
Preacher, K. J., & Hayes, A. F. (2004) · Behavior Research Methods, Instruments, & Computers · doi:10.3758/bf03206553 · Cited by 17,383 · see citing works
Nostalgia: content, triggers, functions
Wildschut, T., Sedikides, C., Arndt, J., & Routledge, C. (2006) · Journal of Personality and Social Psychology · doi:10.1037/0022-3514.91.5.975 · Cited by 1,252 · see citing works
Self-citationFive domains of interpersonal competence in peer relationships.
Buhrmester, D., Furman, W., Wittenberg, M. T., & Reis, H. T. (1988) · Journal of Personality and Social Psychology · doi:10.1037//0022-3514.55.6.991 · Cited by 859 · see citing works
Music-evoked nostalgia: Affect, memory, and personality
Barrett, F. S., Grimm, K. J., Robins, R. W., Wildschut, T., Sedikides, C., & Janata, P. (2010) · Emotion · doi:10.1037/a0019006 · Cited by 547 · see citing works
Self-citationCounteracting Loneliness: On the Restorative Function of Nostalgia
Zhou, X., Sedikides, C., Wildschut, T., & Gao, D.-G. (2008) · Psychological Science · doi:10.1111/j.1467-9280.2008.02194.x · Cited by 468 · see citing works
Self-citationOdyssey's end: Lay conceptions of nostalgia reflect its original Homeric meaning
Hepper, E. G., Ritchie, T. D., Sedikides, C., & Wildschut, T. (2012) · Emotion · doi:10.1037/a0025167 · Cited by 467 · see citing works
Self-citationThe past makes the present meaningful: Nostalgia as an existential resource
Routledge, C., Arndt, J., Wildschut, T., Sedikides, C., Hart, C. M., Juhl, J., Vingerhoets, A. J. J. M., & Schlotz, W. (2011) · Journal of Personality and Social Psychology · doi:10.1037/a0024292 · Cited by 463 · see citing works
Self-citationA blast from the past: The terror management function of nostalgia
Routledge, C., Arndt, J., Sedikides, C., & Wildschut, T. (2008) · Journal of Experimental Social Psychology · doi:10.1016/j.jesp.2006.11.001 · Cited by 422 · cited 3× · see citing works
“Individuals differ in the extent to which they spontaneously engage in nostalgic recollections (Routledge et al. 2008; Zhou et al. 2008).”
BackgroundMethodSelf-citationThe Happiness of Giving: The Time-Ask Effect
Liu, W., & Aaker, J. (2008) · Journal of Consumer Research · doi:10.1086/588699 · Cited by 411 · see citing works
Feelings, Fantasies, and Memories
Holak, S. L., & Havlena, W. J. (1998) · Journal of Business Research · doi:10.1016/s0148-2963(97)00119-7 · Cited by 404 · cited 1× · see citing works
“Electronically published September 17, 2011 pirical research linking nostalgia to consumer behavior remains relatively scarce and largely focused on accounting for the market success of certain products (Holak and Havlena 1998; Schindler and Holbrook 2003).”
BackgroundNostalgia as a repository of social connectedness: The role of attachment-related avoidance
Wildschut, T., Sedikides, C., Routledge, C., Arndt, J., & Cordaro, F. (2010) · Journal of Personality and Social Psychology · doi:10.1037/a0017597 · Cited by 328 · see citing works
Self-citationPersonal nostalgia, world view, memory, and emotionality
Batcho, K. I. (1998) · Perceptual and Motor Skills · doi:10.2466/pms.1998.87.2.411 · Cited by 133 · see citing works
Flagged first, then by citations
Cited by
Sorted by citations
Odyssey's end: Lay conceptions of nostalgia reflect its original Homeric meaning
Hepper, E. G., Ritchie, T. D., Sedikides, C., & Wildschut, T. (2012) · Emotion · doi:10.1037/a0025167 · Cited by 467 · see citing works
Self-citationThe past makes the present meaningful: Nostalgia as an existential resource
Routledge, C., Arndt, J., Wildschut, T., Sedikides, C., Hart, C. M., Juhl, J., Vingerhoets, A. J. J. M., & Schlotz, W. (2011) · Journal of Personality and Social Psychology · doi:10.1037/a0024292 · Cited by 463 · see citing works
Self-citationSedikides, C., Wildschut, T., Routledge, C., Arndt, J., Hepper, E. G., & Zhou, X. (2015) · Advances in Experimental Social Psychology · doi:10.1016/bs.aesp.2014.10.001 · Cited by 348 · see citing works
Self-citationBack to the Future: Nostalgia Increases Optimism
Cheung, W.-Y., Wildschut, T., Sedikides, C., Hepper, E. G., Arndt, J., & Vingerhoets, A. J. J. M. (2013) · Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin · doi:10.1177/0146167213499187 · Cited by 320 · see citing works
Self-citationSedikides, C., Wildschut, T., Cheung, W.-Y., Routledge, C., Hepper, E. G., Arndt, J., Vail, K., Zhou, X., Brackstone, K., & Vingerhoets, A. J. J. M. (2016) · Emotion · doi:10.1037/emo0000136 · Cited by 318 · see citing works
Self-citationHinsch, C., Felix, R., & Rauschnabel, P. A. (2020) · Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services · doi:10.1016/j.jretconser.2019.101987 · Cited by 279 · see citing works
In search of meaningfulness: Nostalgia as an antidote to boredom
van Tilburg, W. A. P., Igou, E. R., & Sedikides, C. (2013) · Emotion · doi:10.1037/a0030442 · Cited by 236 · see citing works
Self-citationPancultural nostalgia: Prototypical conceptions across cultures.
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., et al. (2014) · Emotion · doi:10.1037/a0036790 · Cited by 237 · see citing works
Self-citationThe mnemonic mover: Nostalgia regulates avoidance and approach motivation
Stephan, E., Wildschut, T., Sedikides, C., Zhou, X., He, W., Routledge, C., Cheung, W.-Y., & Vingerhoets, A. J. J. M. (2014) · Emotion · doi:10.1037/a0035673 · Cited by 204 · see citing works
Self-citationNostalgia Weakens the Desire for Money
Lasaleta, J. D., Sedikides, C., & Vohs, K. D. (2014) · Journal of Consumer Research · doi:10.1086/677227 · Cited by 199 · see citing works
Self-citationNostalgia and well-being in daily life: An ecological validity perspective.
Newman, D. B., Sachs, M. E., Stone, A. A., & Schwarz, N. (2020) · Journal of Personality and Social Psychology · doi:10.1037/pspp0000236 · Cited by 198 · see citing works
Collective nostalgia: A group-level emotion that confers unique benefits on the group.
Wildschut, T., Bruder, M., Robertson, S., van Tilburg, W. A. P., & Sedikides, C. (2014) · Journal of Personality and Social Psychology · doi:10.1037/a0037760 · Cited by 197 · see citing works
Self-citationRemembering the real me: Nostalgia offers a window to the intrinsic self.
Baldwin, M., Biernat, M., & Landau, M. J. (2015) · Journal of Personality and Social Psychology · doi:10.1037/a0038033 · Cited by 169 · see citing works
Heartwarming memories: nostalgia maintains physiological comfort
Zhou, X., Wildschut, T., Sedikides, C., Chen, X., & Vingerhoets, A. J. J. M. (2012) · Emotion · doi:10.1037/a0027236 · Cited by 147 · see citing works
Self-citationAbeyta, A. A., Routledge, C., & Juhl, J. (2015) · Journal of Personality and Social Psychology · doi:10.1037/pspi0000036 · Cited by 143 · see citing works
Stephan, E., Sedikides, C., & Wildschut, T. (2012) · European Journal of Social Psychology · doi:10.1002/ejsp.1865 · Cited by 132 · see citing works
Self-citationThe hedonic character of nostalgia: an integrative data analysis
Leunissen, J., Wildschut, T., Sedikides, C., & Routledge, C. (2021) · Emotion Review · doi:10.1177/1754073920950455 · Cited by 119 · see citing works
Self-citationDropping the weight stigma: Nostalgia improves attitudes toward persons who are overweight
Turner, R. N., Wildschut, T., & Sedikides, C. (2012) · Journal of Experimental Social Psychology · doi:10.1016/j.jesp.2011.09.007 · Cited by 111 · see citing works
Self-citationJuhl, J., Wildschut, T., Sedikides, C., Diebel, T., Cheung, W., & Vingerhoets, A. J. J. M. (2020) · Journal of Personality · doi:10.1111/jopy.12505 · Cited by 84 · see citing works
Self-citationNostalgia: An impactful social emotion
Juhl, J., & Biskas, M. (2023) · Current Opinion in Psychology · doi:10.1016/j.copsyc.2022.101545 · Cited by 84 · see citing works
Sedikides, C., & Wildschut, T. (2022) · Journal of Pacific Rim Psychology · doi:10.1177/18344909221091649 · Cited by 76 · see citing works
Self-citationCombating the mental health stigma with nostalgia
Turner, R. N., Wildschut, T., Sedikides, C., & Gheorghiu, M. (2013) · European Journal of Social Psychology · doi:10.1002/ejsp.1952 · Cited by 72 · see citing works
Self-citationNostalgia buffers the negative impact of low procedural justice on cooperation
van Dijke, M., Wildschut, T., Leunissen, J. M., & Sedikides, C. (2015) · Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes · doi:10.1016/j.obhdp.2014.11.005 · Cited by 65 · see citing works
Self-citationSociality and intergenerational transfer of older adults' nostalgia
Wildschut, T., Sedikides, C., & Robertson, S. (2018) · Memory · doi:10.1080/09658211.2018.1470645 · Cited by 58 · see citing works
Self-citationSantini, F. D. O., Lim, W. M., Ladeira, W. J., Costa Pinto, D., Herter, M. M., & Rasul, T. (2023) · Psychology & Marketing · doi:10.1002/mar.21872 · Cited by 41 · see citing works
Nostalgia makes people eat healthier
Lasaleta, J. D., Werle, C. O. C., & Yamim, A. P. (2021) · Appetite · doi:10.1016/j.appet.2021.105187 · Cited by 32 · see citing works
Nostalgia increases punitiveness by intensifying moral concern
Lasaleta, J. D., Wildschut, T., & Sedikides, C. (2024) · Scientific Reports · doi:10.1038/s41598-024-61858-x · Cited by 3 · see citing works
Self-citation
- Authors
- Zhou, X., Wildschut, T., Sedikides, C., Shi, K., & Feng, C.
- Affiliations
- Sun Yat-sen University (CN)
- University of Southampton (GB)
- Chinese Academy of Sciences (CN)
- Venue
- Journal of Consumer Research
- Publisher
- Oxford University Press (OUP)
- Published
- 2011-09-17
- Volume
- 39
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 39-50
- ISSN
- 0093-5301 (ISSN-L)
- 1537-5277
- OpenAlex
- W2045998806
- Cited by
- 287
- References
- 12
- Citations by year
- 2026: 15 · 2025: 18 · 2024: 20 · 2023: 23 · 2022: 20 · 2021: 27 · 2020: 27 · 2019: 27 · 2018: 22 · 2017: 21 · 2016: 16 · 2015: 14 · 2014: 22 · 2013: 7 · 2012: 5
- FWCI
- 16.05
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Journal of Consumer Research (publishedVersion)
- ePrints Soton (University of Southampton) (acceptedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Nostalgia and Consumer Behavior
- Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Nonprofit Sector and Volunteering
- Social Sciences › Decision Sciences › General Decision Sciences › Decision-Making and Behavioral Economics
- Keywords
- nostalgia, charitable giving, empathy, prosocial behavior, volunteering, social connectedness, personal distress, social emotions, charitable behavior
About these checks
Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.
Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.
Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.
What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›
Are you an author, or do you see a problem with this page? Request a review
