Nostalgia Nurtures Self-Humanity

Zhang Jiakai; Liao Ruoran; Yu Zhaoliang

doi:10.16719/j.cnki.1671-6981.20250517

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Journal of Psychological Science ›› 2025, Vol. 48 ›› Issue (5) : 1221-1232. DOI: 10.16719/j.cnki.1671-6981.20250517

Social, Personality & Organizational Psychology

Nostalgia Nurtures Self-Humanity

Zhang Jiakai, Liao Ruoran, Yu Zhaoliang

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Abstract

Past literature has suggested that reduced self-humanity is associated with a number of negative outcomes, such as poorer mental health and increased immoral behaviors (Kouchaki et al., 2018; Bastian & Haslam, 2011). Extensive empirical efforts have been addressed to examine how self-humanity could be eroded by negative contextual factors including challenging work environments and lack of social connection (Baldissarri et al., 2017; Baldissarri et al., 2023). Limited attention has been given to understanding its positive intrapersonal antecedents. Recent research suggested that some affective processes, such as forgiveness and the self-transcendent emotion of awe, could enhance self-humanity (Cheng & Wang, 2024; Schumann & Walton, 2022). In the present research, we aimed to investigate whether and how the emotion of nostalgia could foster self-humanity. Nostalgia is often characterized as a predominantly positive emotion albeit sometimes accompanied by bittersweet undertones (Wildschut et al., 2006). It has been conceptualized as a self-relevant social emotion that serves essential self-oriented, existential and social functions. Accumulating empirical evidence found that nostalgia was associated with numerous psychological and social benefits that are protective to one’s self, including enhanced psychological well-being, meaning in life and social connectedness (Routledge et al., 2013; Sedikides et al., 2015). We posited that nostalgia should foster self-humanity and that increased self-continuity should mediate this relationship. According to the narrative identity theory, nostalgia could bridge the past experiences with the present self, thereby encouraging a continued, cohesive, and meaningful framework for individuals to acknowledge their stable and coherent self (Hong et al., 2022). It also encourages the recognition of the enduring presence of significant others across time. This process should further boost the acknowledgement of the richness and complexity of human existence, a fundamental aspect of self-humanity. Three studies (total N = 1048) were conducted to test our hypotheses. Chinese adult participants were recruited via the online platform Credamo, and the emotion of nostalgia was operationalized both at the trait level (Study 1) and the state level (Studies 2 and 3). Study 1 comprised of two samples. After providing consent, participants were instructed to complete a series of established questionnaires, including measures of trait nostalgia, self-humanity, and self-continuity. Results showed that trait nostalgia was positively associated with self-humanity and that the relationship was mediated by greater self-continuity. Results remained after controlling for demographic variables. Study 2 employed a one-factor (Emotion: nostalgia vs. neutral) between-subject design to examine the causal relationship between state nostalgia and self-humanity. Participants were first primed with target emotions using the Event Reflection Task, and then completed measures of self-continuity and self-humanity. Results revealed that induced nostalgia fostered self-humanity through enhanced self-continuity. In Study 3, we aimed to test the potential facilitative role of nostalgia on the restoration of one’s sense of humanness after being socially excluded. Participants first engaged in a recall task of social exclusion. The effectiveness of the social exclusion task in decreasing self-humanity was validated through a pilot study. Participants then completed the same self-humanity measure as in Study 2 (T1). Target emotions (nostalgia vs. neutral) were next induced using the same Event Reflection Task as in Study 2, after which participants were instructed to complete the same self-humanity (T2) and self-continuity measures. Results indicated that T1 self-humanity moderated the relationship between nostalgia and T2 self-humanity, with nostalgia exhibiting stronger healing effects when T1 self-humanity was low. After controlling for self-humanity (T1), state nostalgia promoted T2 self-humanity, and that self-continuity mediated the relationship between nostalgia and T2 self-humanity. Overall, our findings highlight the importance of nostalgia in nurturing self-humanity and the pivotal role of self-continuity in driving this relationship. Implications of the present findings for personal growth, mental health, and prosociality were discussed.

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nostalgia / self-humanity / self-continuity

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Zhang Jiakai, Liao Ruoran, Yu Zhaoliang. Nostalgia Nurtures Self-Humanity[J]. Journal of Psychological Science. 2025, 48(5): 1221-1232 https://doi.org/10.16719/j.cnki.1671-6981.20250517

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