Holding on to Pieces of the Past: Daily Reports of Nostalgia in a Life-Span Sample

Nostalgia, the fond remembrance of one's past, is a common experience hypothesized to increase across the life span. Yet data on the specific features of nostalgia, such as daily frequency and associated affect, are scarce. This study sought to address this limitation by assessing the daily experience of nostalgia using experience-sampling methods. A life-span sample of 108 participants (47 young, 31 middle-aged, and 30 older adults) completed a 2-week, twice-daily experience-sampling study that yielded data describing the frequency and emotions of everyday nostalgia. Multilevel logistic regression analyses supported increased nostalgia frequency at every life stage: Young adults were 60% less likely to report nostalgia compared with middle-aged adults (odds ratio [OR] = .40), whereas older adults were 3 times more likely than middle-aged adults to report nostalgia (OR = 3.05). Additionally, the experience of nostalgia was associated with significant heterogeneity in positive and negative affect. Approximately 72% of participants experienced an increase in positive affect, and 51% experienced an increase in negative affect. For young and middle-aged adults, a change in positive affect was associated with a 2-times-larger increase in nostalgia likelihood, whereas a change in negative affect was more strongly associated with a nostalgia experience in older adults. The current study provides increased evidence for the affectively mixed nature of nostalgia and how the affective pattern differs for adults of different ages. Greater nostalgia frequency may be instrumental during life review when individuals make meaning of their lives, fulfilling developmental goals of late adulthood.