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Autobiographical memory functions of nostalgia in comparison to rumination and counterfactual thinking: similarity and uniqueness

Autobiographical memory functions of nostalgia in comparison to rumination and counterfactual thinking: similarity and uniqueness
Autobiographical memory functions of nostalgia in comparison to rumination and counterfactual thinking: similarity and uniqueness

We compared and contrasted nostalgia with rumination and counterfactual thinking in terms of their autobiographical memory functions. Specifically, we assessed individual differences in nostalgia, rumination, and counterfactual thinking, which we then linked to self-reported functions or uses of autobiographical memory (Self-Regard, Boredom Reduction, Death Preparation, Intimacy Maintenance, Conversation, Teach/Inform, and Bitterness Revival). We tested which memory functions are shared and which are uniquely linked to nostalgia. The commonality among nostalgia, rumination, and counterfactual thinking resides in their shared positive associations with all memory functions: individuals who evinced a stronger propensity towards past-oriented thought (as manifested in nostalgia, rumination, and counterfactual thinking) reported greater overall recruitment of memories in the service of present functioning. The uniqueness of nostalgia resides in its comparatively strong positive associations with Intimacy Maintenance, Teach/Inform, and Self-Regard and weak association with Bitterness Revival. In all, nostalgia possesses a more positive functional signature than do rumination and counterfactual thinking.

Autobiographical memory, counterfactual thinking, memory functions, nostalgia, rumination
0965-8211
229-237
Cheung, Wing Yee
7a3c3949-2468-466a-946b-f629f1ce07f4
Wildschut, Tim
4452a61d-1649-4c4a-bb1d-154ec446ff81
Sedikides, Constantine
9d45e66d-75bb-44de-87d7-21fd553812c2
Cheung, Wing Yee
7a3c3949-2468-466a-946b-f629f1ce07f4
Wildschut, Tim
4452a61d-1649-4c4a-bb1d-154ec446ff81
Sedikides, Constantine
9d45e66d-75bb-44de-87d7-21fd553812c2

Cheung, Wing Yee, Wildschut, Tim and Sedikides, Constantine (2018) Autobiographical memory functions of nostalgia in comparison to rumination and counterfactual thinking: similarity and uniqueness. Memory, 26 (2), 229-237. (doi:10.1080/09658211.2017.1346129).

Record type: Article

Abstract

We compared and contrasted nostalgia with rumination and counterfactual thinking in terms of their autobiographical memory functions. Specifically, we assessed individual differences in nostalgia, rumination, and counterfactual thinking, which we then linked to self-reported functions or uses of autobiographical memory (Self-Regard, Boredom Reduction, Death Preparation, Intimacy Maintenance, Conversation, Teach/Inform, and Bitterness Revival). We tested which memory functions are shared and which are uniquely linked to nostalgia. The commonality among nostalgia, rumination, and counterfactual thinking resides in their shared positive associations with all memory functions: individuals who evinced a stronger propensity towards past-oriented thought (as manifested in nostalgia, rumination, and counterfactual thinking) reported greater overall recruitment of memories in the service of present functioning. The uniqueness of nostalgia resides in its comparatively strong positive associations with Intimacy Maintenance, Teach/Inform, and Self-Regard and weak association with Bitterness Revival. In all, nostalgia possesses a more positive functional signature than do rumination and counterfactual thinking.

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Cheung Wildschut Sedikides 2018 Memory - Version of Record
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Accepted/In Press date: 16 June 2017
e-pub ahead of print date: 1 July 2017
Published date: 7 February 2018
Keywords: Autobiographical memory, counterfactual thinking, memory functions, nostalgia, rumination

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 417454
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/417454
ISSN: 0965-8211
PURE UUID: 05bc5d12-caf6-4f96-a680-1969d64152a4
ORCID for Tim Wildschut: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0002-6499-5487
ORCID for Constantine Sedikides: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0003-4036-889X

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Date deposited: 31 Jan 2018 17:30
Last modified: 06 Jun 2024 01:39

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