ABSTRACT
Studying the content of nostalgic memories is useful for a number of reason: To develop the understanding of how people conceptualize nostalgia, it is important to understand how people actually experience it, and in order to begin to understand the psychological and social consequences of nostalgia, it is critical to detail the types of cognitions and emotions that are prevalent in nostalgic memories. Understanding the content of nostalgia is important for establishing how this experience is similar to and distinct from other modes of temporal thought or self-reflective exercises. Research on nostalgia has now established that nostalgia is conceptualized and experienced similarly among people. And these conceptualizations and experiences of nostalgia are at odds with the historical treatment of nostalgia as an illness or psychological vulnerability. Nostalgia was highest among younger and older adults with a slight dip in mid-adulthood. Content coding also revealed that nostalgic memories are more social than ordinary autobiographical memories.
