ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the research on the emotional consequences of nostalgia and it also discusses the need for future research to more fully elucidate the many ways that nostalgia may influence affective states. The emotional content of nostalgic memories can be ambivalent. That is, nostalgia often involves happy thoughts tinged with sadness or loss. Nostalgic memories involve mixed emotions. And lay conceptions of nostalgia tend to recognize a component of loss or longing. Negative feelings typically give way to a positive conclusion. Therefore, when people engage in nostalgic reflection, any negative emotions felt might be muted by the redemptive outcome. Likewise, positive and negative emotions do not share equal space in nostalgic memories: the presence of positive emotions far outweighs the presence of negative emotions. Research on affect regulation indicates that people are motivated to engage in mood-repair following affectively negative experiences.
