Nostalgia and self-humanity: processes and consequences

Nostalgia is prevalent across ages and cultures, confers multiple psychological benefits, and has wider appeal in arts, humanities, media, and the popular imagination. We proposed that a key reason for nostalgia’s prevalence, impact, and appeal is that it brings to the fore self-humanity—namely, internalizing the qualities regarded as uniquely human (e.g., moral reasoning, rational thought, personal agency, emotional complexity) and integrating them into one’s self-concept. We obtained support for this proposition in seven studies (ΣN = 3,039), using both cross-sectional and experimental designs. The influence of nostalgia on self-humanity was transmitted by self-esteem and meaning in life. Further, self-humanity mediated the promotive influence of nostalgia on friendship-approach goals and social efficacy. Nostalgia serves as a profound reminder of one’s humanity.