Ep. 2: Your Mind on Nostalgia
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Getting lost in bittersweet memories of the past might not seem like the most productive use of your time. But, research shows nostalgia can actually be a great coping strategy to deal with negative emotions.
So, should you plunge yourself into long and languid daydreams about your glory days? Not necessarily. This week Beth, Noah and Ava explore what triggers nostalgia, the contents of these kinds of memories, and how individual differences influence the effects of nostalgia on the brain and mind.
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Academic Articles
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What kind of memories we feel nostalgic about & what does this do: Wildschut, T., Sedikides, C., Arndt, J., & Routledge, C. (2006). Nostalgia: content, triggers, functions. Journal of personality and social psychology, 91(5), 975.
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Positive effects of nostalgia: Sedikides, C., & Wildschut, T. (2016). Past forward: Nostalgia as a motivational force. Trends in cognitive sciences, 20(5), 319-321
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Nostalgia as therapy: Routledge, C., Wildschut, T., Sedikides, C., & Juhl, J. (2013). Nostalgia as a resource for psychological health and well‐being. Social and Personality Psychology Compass, 7(11), 808-818.
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Nostalgia makes you feel warm: Zhou, X., Wildschut, T., Sedikides, C., Chen, X., & Vingerhoets, A. J. (2012). Heartwarming memories: Nostalgia maintains physiological comfort. Emotion, 12(4), 678.
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Attachment mediates social connectedness after feeling nostalgia: Wildschut, T., Sedikides, C., Routledge, C., Arndt, J., & Cordaro, F. (2010). Nostalgia as a repository of social connectedness: The role of attachment-related avoidance. Journal of personality and social psychology, 98(4), 573.
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‘Reminiscence bump’ in young adulthood: Jansari, A., & Parkin, A. J. (1996). Things that go bump in your life: Explaining the reminiscence bump in autobiographical memory. Psychology and aging, 11(1), 85.
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Nostalgia and self-discontinuity: Sedikides, C., Wildschut, T., Routledge, C., & Arndt, J. (2015). Nostalgia counteracts self‐discontinuity and restores self‐continuity. European Journal of Social Psychology, 45(1), 52-61.
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Nostalgia in the brain: Oba, K., Noriuchi, M., Atomi, T., Moriguchi, Y., & Kikuchi, Y. (2016). Memory and reward systems coproduce ‘nostalgic’ experiences in the brain. Social cognitive and affective neuroscience, 11(7), 1069-1077.
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Nostalgia in worriers leads to more sadness (even after initial happiness): Verplanken, B. (2012). When bittersweet turns sour: Adverse effects of nostalgia on habitual worriers. European Journal of Social Psychology, 42(3), 285-289.
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Personality & Nostalgia: Garrido, S. (2018). The influence of personality and coping style on the affective outcomes of nostalgia: Is nostalgia a healthy coping mechanism or rumination?. Personality and Individual Differences, 120, 259-264.