Normal and Pathological Nostalgia

Werman, David S.

doi:10.1177/000306517702500205

Cited by 111 publications

(62 citation statements)

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“…Still other authors frame nostalgia as ambivalent, resulting from comparing the present to a favored past (Cavanaugh, 1989;Frijda, 2007;Johnson-Laird & Oatley, 1989;Mills & Coleman, 1994;Socarides, 1977;Werman, 1977). For example, Frijda (2007, pp. 87-88) describes nostalgia as coactivation of positive and negative affect, "a true bittersweet emotion: pain because of pleasures past, or pleasure because of pleasures that have gone.…”

Section: Historical Conceptions Of Nostalgiamentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Others argue that nostalgia is primarily positive, based on affection for the past (Batcho, 1998;Davis, 1979;Sedikides et al, 2004). For example, Davis (1979) describes nostalgia as "positively toned" (p. 18) and "almost never infused with those sentiments we commonly think of as negative" (p. 14).Still other authors frame nostalgia as ambivalent, resulting from comparing the present to a favored past (Cavanaugh, 1989;Frijda, 2007;Johnson-Laird & Oatley, 1989;Mills & Coleman, 1994;Socarides, 1977;Werman, 1977). Similarly, Holak and Havlena (1998) found that nostalgic narratives were judged to be affectively positive, and that nostalgic intensity increased with expressions of tenderness and elation.…”

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confidence: 99%

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Odyssey's end: Lay conceptions of nostalgia reflect its original homeric meaning.

Hepper¹,

Ritchie²,

Sedikides³

et al. 2012

Emotion

358

583

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Nostalgia fulfills pivotal functions for individuals, but lacks an empirically-derived and comprehensive definition. We examined lay conceptions of nostalgia using a prototype approach. In Study 1, participants generated open-ended features of nostalgia, which were coded into categories. In Study 2, participants rated the centrality of these categories, which were subsequently classified as central (e.g., memories, relationships, happiness) or peripheral (e.g., daydreaming, regret, loneliness). Central (compared to peripheral) features were more often recalled and falsely recognized (Study 3), were classified more quickly (Study 4), were judged to reflect more nostalgia in a vignette (Study 5), better characterized participants' own nostalgic (vs. ordinary) experiences (Study 6), and prompted higher levels of actual nostalgia and its intrapersonal benefits when used to trigger a personal memory, regardless of age (Study 7). These findings highlight that lay people view nostalgia as a selfrelevant and social blended emotional and cognitive state, featuring a mixture of happiness and loss. The findings also aid understanding of nostalgia's functions and identify new methods for future research.Keywords: nostalgia, prototype, emotions, memory, self Nostalgia 3 Nostalgia is part of the fabric of everyday life. After centuries of scientific neglect, the construct has recently been the focus of burgeoning empirical and theoretical developments. According to Boym (2001), nostalgia is experienced by almost everyone.Indeed, 79% of undergraduates report experiencing nostalgia at least once a week (Wildschut, Sedikides, Arndt, & Routledge, 2006), as do over half of adults in every five-year age cohort from age 18 to 90 (Hepper, Wildschut, Sedikides, Routledge, & Arndt, 2011). Moreover, recent research suggests that nostalgia serves vital psychological functions .Despite emerging evidence for the functional relevance of nostalgia, the mechanisms by which it operates are poorly understood. A major reason for this is that there exists no coherent definition of nostalgia; in fact, its nature has long been the subject of debate. The purpose of the present research is to resolve this debate by uncovering conclusively what "nostalgia" means to people. In particular, we propose that lay persons' views of nostalgia have a prototype structure characterized by a core set of central features. In examining this proposal, we aim to clarify what contemporary scholars have been studying and to provide new directions and methods for studying nostalgia further. Historical Conceptions of NostalgiaThe term "nostalgia" derives from the Greek words nostos, meaning return to one's native land, and algos, meaning pain or suffering: literally, suffering caused by longing to return home. However, the idea existed long before the word. In probably its first exploration in classical literature, the theme of nostalgia runs strongly through Homer's Odyssey, in which the hero Odysseus nurtures memories of Ithaca and his family throughout his lon...

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Section: Historical Conceptions Of Nostalgiamentioning

confidence: 99%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Odyssey's end: Lay conceptions of nostalgia reflect its original homeric meaning.

Hepper¹,

Ritchie²,

Sedikides³

et al. 2012

Emotion

358

583

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Nostalgia is a bittersweet feeling that consists of a longing for yesterday, evoking fond memories of the past (Werman, 1977). For marketing researchers, this concept is relevant for shaping the structures of consumer preference and has been studied since the 1990s.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effect of Nostalgia on Customer Loyalty to Brand Post-Merger / Acquisition

Toledo

Lopes

2016

BAR, Braz. Adm. Rev.

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The main objective of this study is to identify the effect of nostalgic feelings on consumer loyalty to the prevailing brand following the extinction of a brand in a merger/acquisition process. We also propose an explanatory model of the relationships between tests of relevant constructs. Based on a review and theoretical reflection on the constructs under study, this paper outlines a theoretical model in which attitudes in relation to both extinct and prevailing brands mediate the relationship between nostalgic feelings and customer loyalty, which was subsequently analyzed by structural equation modeling. The results showed the effect of nostalgic feelings on customers' attitudes toward both extinct and prevailing brands and the influence of switching costs on building brand loyalty. The study contributed to the expansion of the theoretical framework on the subject of marketing by developing and validating a comprehensive model that adds to existing research, expanding the horizon of the study of the phenomenon.

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“…It is interesting to speculate about the major triad being the "idealized" item, the norm of positive valence which is altered or "obscured" by the sad and negative intervals of the minor second or the major seventh, which are also the sharpest dissonances (Hutchinson & Knopoff, 1979;Kameoka & Kuriyagawa, 1969;Malmberg, 1918). Also, Werman (1977) sees nostalgia as "wistful pleasure, a joy tinged with sadness" (p. 393). Again, the analogy of the major triad representing happiness/joy, while the minor second and its inversion--the major seventh--represent the tinge of melancholy/sadness, is striking.…”

Section: ) Clashing Conventionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Theoretical Proposals on How Vertical Harmony May Convey Nostalgia and Longing in Music

Lahdelma¹,

Eerola

2015

EMR

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Music is often associated with the emotions of nostalgia and longing. According to previous survey studies, both nostalgia and longing are among the most common emotions evoked by music (Juslin, 2011). Despite nostalgia's significance as a musical emotion, research on the specific properties of music that might contribute to this particular emotion has been scarce. A recent empirical experiment by Lahdelma and Eerola (2014) sought to explore whether single chords could be effective at conveying musical emotions to listeners, which spanned complex emotions such as nostalgia/longing. According to the results, single chords such as the minor triad, the minor seventh and especially the major seventh communicated the emotion of nostalgia effectively. The aim of the current paper is to raise several possible explanations that might account for the ability of single chords to convey the emotion of nostalgia. In these explanations we consider cultural, music-theoretical and psychoacoustic issues, as well as their possible interactions. The three proposed candidate explanations are (1) learning, (2) intrinsic emotional connotations arising from tonal relations, and (3) clashing conventions arising from concurrent yet separate affective associations, stemming from certain triad and interval combinations. Finally, we propose experimental designs for future research to empirically test these explanations.Submitted 2014 November 17; accepted 2015 September 8. KEYWORDS: chord, vertical harmony, emotion, nostalgia, longing NOSTALGIA is a common emotion (Boym, 2001), described as a universal experience that transcends age groups and is present across the lifespan (Sedikides, Wildschut, & Baden, 2004). According to Wildschut, Sedikides, and Routledge (2008), the term nostalgia "derives from the Greek words nostos (return) and algos (pain)" (p. 20), literally meaning "the suffering evoked by the desire to return to one's place of origin " (p. 20). The New Oxford Dictionary of English (1998) defines nostalgia as "a sentimental longing or wistful affection for the past" (p. 1266), underlining the longing quality inherent in the emotion. According to Batcho (2007), "most theorists agree that the distinctive emotional character of nostalgia is bittersweet -a mix of sadness and wistful joy" (p. 362). Sedikides, Wildschut, Arndt, and Routledge (2008) propose that "nostalgia is triggered by dysphoric states such as negative mood and loneliness" (p. 304), but that it also generates positive affect. Nostalgia's positive effects have also been reported by, for example, Juhl and Routledge (2013) and Cheung et al. (2013).These positive effects could be one reason why music is often called for to induce nostalgia, as music is a common source of nostalgia (e.g., Barrett et al., 2010;Zentner, Grandjean, & Scherer, 2008), and it often serves a nostalgic function in everyday life (Juslin, Harmat, & Eerola, 2013). Juslin (2011) proposes that on the basis of previous survey studies both nostalgia and longing are among the most common e...

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Normal and Pathological Nostalgia

Cited by 111 publications

References 2 publications

Odyssey's end: Lay conceptions of nostalgia reflect its original homeric meaning.

Odyssey's end: Lay conceptions of nostalgia reflect its original homeric meaning.

Effect of Nostalgia on Customer Loyalty to Brand Post-Merger / Acquisition

Theoretical Proposals on How Vertical Harmony May Convey Nostalgia and Longing in Music

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