The utility of nostalgia for unhealthy populations: a systematic review and narrative analysis
The utility of nostalgia for unhealthy populations: a systematic review and narrative analysis
Nostalgic reverie (i.e. sentimental longing) has received increased attention as a predictor of health and well-being, but only a handful of reviews have summarized this literature. The available reviews (Dementia: The International Journal of Social Research and Practice, 19, 2020, 330; Intimations of nostalgia: Multidisciplinary explorations of an enduring emotion, Bristol University Press, 2022) left a critical gap in explicating the function of nostalgia among people engaged in unhealthy behaviour. In the current systematic review and narrative analysis, we sought to answer whether and under what conditions emotion serves to help or hinder people engaged in unhealthy behaviours in terms of taking action to change. We identified 14 studies and categorized them into two themes. In Theme I, nostalgising about a time in one's life when one was healthier motivated both readiness to change and action to change unhealthy behaviour. In Theme II, nostalgizing about the perceived benefits of engaging in unhealthy behaviour (e.g. social connectedness related to drinking) was associated with the continuance or acceleration of the unhealthy behaviour. This review highlights not only the presence of a link between nostalgia and unhealthy behaviour but also that the content of one's nostalgising matters for understanding whether the unhealthy behaviour is undermined or bolstered.
action to change, health, healthy behaviour, nostalgia, readiness to change, unhealthy behaviour
Wohl, Michael J.A.
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Dowson, Mackenzie E.
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Salmon, Melissa M.
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Sedikides, Constantine
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Wildschut, Tim
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3 August 2023
Wohl, Michael J.A.
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Dowson, Mackenzie E.
0995a43a-d58f-4ce3-a1e7-2ed9790538df
Salmon, Melissa M.
91e4f2b7-0492-411e-89fd-a1ebf4cd427d
Sedikides, Constantine
9d45e66d-75bb-44de-87d7-21fd553812c2
Wildschut, Tim
4452a61d-1649-4c4a-bb1d-154ec446ff81
Wohl, Michael J.A., Dowson, Mackenzie E., Salmon, Melissa M., Sedikides, Constantine and Wildschut, Tim
(2023)
The utility of nostalgia for unhealthy populations: a systematic review and narrative analysis.
British Journal of Social Psychology.
(doi:10.1111/bjso.12676).
Abstract
Nostalgic reverie (i.e. sentimental longing) has received increased attention as a predictor of health and well-being, but only a handful of reviews have summarized this literature. The available reviews (Dementia: The International Journal of Social Research and Practice, 19, 2020, 330; Intimations of nostalgia: Multidisciplinary explorations of an enduring emotion, Bristol University Press, 2022) left a critical gap in explicating the function of nostalgia among people engaged in unhealthy behaviour. In the current systematic review and narrative analysis, we sought to answer whether and under what conditions emotion serves to help or hinder people engaged in unhealthy behaviours in terms of taking action to change. We identified 14 studies and categorized them into two themes. In Theme I, nostalgising about a time in one's life when one was healthier motivated both readiness to change and action to change unhealthy behaviour. In Theme II, nostalgizing about the perceived benefits of engaging in unhealthy behaviour (e.g. social connectedness related to drinking) was associated with the continuance or acceleration of the unhealthy behaviour. This review highlights not only the presence of a link between nostalgia and unhealthy behaviour but also that the content of one's nostalgising matters for understanding whether the unhealthy behaviour is undermined or bolstered.
Text
Wohl et al., 2023, BJSP
- Accepted Manuscript
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British J Social Psychol - 2023 - Wohl
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More information
Accepted/In Press date: 20 July 2023
e-pub ahead of print date: 3 August 2023
Published date: 3 August 2023
Additional Information:
Funding Information:
The preparation of this article was supported by a Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada Insight Grant to Wohl, Sedikides, and Wildschut.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2023 The Authors. British Journal of Social Psychology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of British Psychological Society.
Keywords:
action to change, health, healthy behaviour, nostalgia, readiness to change, unhealthy behaviour
Identifiers
Local EPrints ID: 480518
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/480518
ISSN: 0144-6665
PURE UUID: 8e865e55-9d29-407b-88c2-c5b2dd42856a
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Date deposited: 03 Aug 2023 17:24
Last modified: 18 Mar 2024 02:53
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Contributors
Author:
Michael J.A. Wohl
Author:
Mackenzie E. Dowson
Author:
Melissa M. Salmon
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