The motivational potency of nostalgia: the future is called yesterday
The motivational potency of nostalgia: the future is called yesterday
The emotion of nostalgia, a sentimental longing for one's personal past, has motivational implications. We outline these implications for various forms of approach motivation. One such form is generalized motivation. In particular, nostalgia fosters a sense of youthfulness (i.e., lower subjective age, feeling alert and energetic), boosts inspiration (i.e., transcendence of mundane preoccupations and awareness of new possibilities), and encourages (financial) risk-taking. Another form is localized motivation. In particular, nostalgia promotes a growth orientation (e.g., state authenticity or intrinsic self-expression, growth-oriented self-perceptions and behavioral intentions), galvanizes intrinsic motivation, and strengthens the pursuit of one's important goals. The final form is action-oriented motivation. In particular, nostalgia cements an employee's resolve to stay with the organization (i.e., weakens turnover intentions), increases the propensity to help and actual helping, and contributes indirectly to behavior change (i.e., reduction of problematic behavior such as gambling and drinking). When relevant, we discuss the processes through which nostalgia impacts on motivation, and highlight downstream consequences.
Sedikides, Constantine
9d45e66d-75bb-44de-87d7-21fd553812c2
Wildschut, Tim
4452a61d-1649-4c4a-bb1d-154ec446ff81
Sedikides, Constantine
9d45e66d-75bb-44de-87d7-21fd553812c2
Wildschut, Tim
4452a61d-1649-4c4a-bb1d-154ec446ff81
Sedikides, Constantine and Wildschut, Tim
(2019)
The motivational potency of nostalgia: the future is called yesterday.
Advances in motivation Science.
(doi:10.1016/bs.adms.2019.05.001).
Abstract
The emotion of nostalgia, a sentimental longing for one's personal past, has motivational implications. We outline these implications for various forms of approach motivation. One such form is generalized motivation. In particular, nostalgia fosters a sense of youthfulness (i.e., lower subjective age, feeling alert and energetic), boosts inspiration (i.e., transcendence of mundane preoccupations and awareness of new possibilities), and encourages (financial) risk-taking. Another form is localized motivation. In particular, nostalgia promotes a growth orientation (e.g., state authenticity or intrinsic self-expression, growth-oriented self-perceptions and behavioral intentions), galvanizes intrinsic motivation, and strengthens the pursuit of one's important goals. The final form is action-oriented motivation. In particular, nostalgia cements an employee's resolve to stay with the organization (i.e., weakens turnover intentions), increases the propensity to help and actual helping, and contributes indirectly to behavior change (i.e., reduction of problematic behavior such as gambling and drinking). When relevant, we discuss the processes through which nostalgia impacts on motivation, and highlight downstream consequences.
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Accepted/In Press date: 2 May 2019
e-pub ahead of print date: 25 May 2019
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Local EPrints ID: 435649
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/435649
PURE UUID: fa001edf-35ab-4228-9ca6-87777a7714d8
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Date deposited: 15 Nov 2019 17:30
Last modified: 16 Mar 2024 03:21
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