Can Good Memories of the Past Instill Happiness? Nostalgia Improves Subjective Well-Being by Increasing Gratitude

This study investigates whether nostalgia, conceptualized as recalling positive past experiences, improves subjective well-being (SWB) and through what mechanism. Drawing from positive psychology, the authors focus on SWB’s emotional (positive affect, negative affect) and cognitive (life satisfaction) components and propose gratitude as a proximal mechanism linking nostalgia to SWB. Prior research indicates nostalgia is tied to social connection, meaning, and positive emotions, and that gratitude relates to optimism and well-being. The paper addresses gaps regarding how nostalgia impacts negative affect and life satisfaction and clarifies mixed findings on nostalgia’s hedonic profile. Hypotheses: H1, nostalgia increases SWB—specifically H1a: increases positive affect, H1b: decreases negative affect, H1c: increases satisfaction with life. H2, nostalgia increases state gratitude. H3, gratitude mediates nostalgia’s effects on SWB—H3a: on positive affect, H3b: on negative affect, H3c: on satisfaction with life.

The literature describes nostalgia as a common, often bittersweet, self-relevant social emotion triggered by social (e.g., family, events) and nonsocial cues (e.g., music, scents). While some view it as positive and others as negative, integrative perspectives position nostalgia as bittersweet with adaptive functions. Nostalgia promotes social connection, buffers mortality threat, fosters self-continuity, prosocial behavior, existential meaning, intrinsic motivation, and effort. SWB comprises independent emotional (positive and negative affect) and cognitive (life satisfaction) components. Prior research examined nostalgia’s links to positive affect or life satisfaction separately, with mixed results for negative affect. Gratitude, a state and trait, is a positive emotion elicited by benefits from others and is associated with higher well-being, optimism, social support, and reduced negative emotions. Because nostalgic recollections centrally involve meaningful social interactions and receiving support, nostalgia should elicit state gratitude, which in turn enhances SWB by boosting positive experiences and buffering negative affect. Brief gratitude interventions can improve mood and some aspects of well-being, though effects on distress may vary.

Two experiments with young adult university samples tested causal effects of nostalgia on SWB and mediation by gratitude. Participants provided informed consent and were randomly assigned to nostalgia versus control conditions. Experiment 1 (N = 196; age 18–24, 140 females; M age = 21.74, SD = 1.36): Design: between-subjects (nostalgia vs. control). Manipulation: guided autobiographical recall—nostalgia condition recalled a personally nostalgic event; control reflected on a scenic spot description. Manipulation check: three items assessing current nostalgia (1–6 Likert; α = 0.912); nostalgia condition > control, t(194) = 6.711, d = 0.966. Measures: Gratitude Schedule with three adjectives (1–6; α = 0.955). Emotional well-being: PANAS—9 positive affect (PA; α = 0.928) and 9 negative affect (NA; α = 0.877) items rated 1–6. Cognitive well-being: Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS; 5 items, 1–6; α = 0.631). Analysis: Group comparisons (ANOVA). Mediation via PROCESS Model 4 (5,000 bootstrap samples), IV coded 0 = control, 1 = nostalgia. Experiment 2 (N = 102; 55.9% female; age 20–24, M = 21.74, SD = 1.36): Design: between-subjects (nostalgia vs. control). Manipulation: 5-min nostalgic video featuring childhood-era snacks, toys, games, and animations with nostalgic music; control watched a neutral landscapes video with instrumental music. Manipulation check: same three nostalgia items; nostalgia > control, t(100) = 7.039, d = 1.399. Measures: identical to Experiment 1 with strong internal consistency (Gratitude α = 0.941; PA α = 0.925; NA α = 0.761; SWLS α = 0.808). Analysis: Group differences (ANOVA); mediation via PROCESS Model 4 (5,000 bootstraps).

Experiment 1: Group differences—PA higher in nostalgia (M = 3.42, SD = 0.95) vs. control (M = 2.76, SD = 1.18), F(1,194) = 18.785, p < 0.001, η2 = 0.088 (supports H1a). No significant differences for NA (Mnostalgia = 1.76, SD = 0.73; Mcontrol = 1.88, SD = 0.87), F(1,194) = 1.028, p = 0.312 (H1b not supported) or SWLS (Mnostalgia = 3.22, SD = 0.70; Mcontrol = 3.17, SD = 0.72), F(1,194) = 0.197, p = 0.658 (H1c not supported). Gratitude higher in nostalgia (M = 4.47, SD = 1.24) vs. control (M = 3.52, SD = 1.51), F(1,194) = 22.879, p < 0.001, η2 = 0.105 (supports H2). Correlations: gratitude with nostalgia r = 0.61, p < 0.001; gratitude with PA r = 0.42, p < 0.001; no significant links with NA or SWLS. Mediation: significant indirect effect of nostalgia on PA via gratitude, B = 0.262, SE = 0.094, 95% CI [0.106, 0.474]; direct effect remained significant B = 0.400, SE = 0.151, 95% CI [0.102, 0.698] (partial mediation; supports H3a partially). No significant effects for NA or SWLS (H1b, H1c, H3b, H3c not supported in E1). Experiment 2: Group differences—PA higher in nostalgia (M = 3.51, SD = 1.07) vs. control (M = 2.92, SD = 1.23), F(1,100) = 6.618, p < 0.05, η2 = 0.062 (supports H1a); NA lower in nostalgia (M = 1.46, SD = 0.43) vs. control (M = 1.84, SD = 0.57), F(1,100) = 14.224, p < 0.001, η2 = 0.125 (supports H1b); SWLS not different (Mnostalgia = 3.73, SD = 1.00; Mcontrol = 3.60, SD = 0.87), F(1,100) = 0.542, p = 0.463 (H1c not supported). Gratitude higher in nostalgia (M = 4.27, SD = 1.29) vs. control (M = 3.33, SD = 1.64), F(1,100) = 10.239, p < 0.01, η2 = 0.093 (supports H2). Correlations: nostalgia with gratitude r = 0.64, PA r = 0.51, NA r = −0.61 (all p < 0.001); gratitude with SWLS ns. Mediation: PA—indirect effect via gratitude B = 0.408, SE = 0.144, 95% CI [0.144, 0.710]; direct effect ns, indicating full mediation (supports H3a). NA—indirect effect via gratitude B = −0.217, SE = 0.074, 95% CI [−0.168, −0.080]; direct effect B = −0.159, SE = 0.077, 95% CI [−0.312, −0.006], indicating partial mediation (supports H3b). No mediation for SWLS (H3c not supported). Overall, nostalgia increased emotional well-being via gratitude, with no reliable effect on cognitive well-being.

Findings across two experiments demonstrate that experimentally induced nostalgia increases gratitude and enhances emotional aspects of SWB, particularly positive affect; with a video induction, nostalgia also reduced negative affect. Gratitude mediated these effects consistently for positive affect (partial in Experiment 1, full in Experiment 2) and for negative affect in Experiment 2. The lack of effect on life satisfaction suggests nostalgia’s benefits are more immediate and affective rather than cognitive evaluations of life. Differences between induction methods imply that more immersive, externally cued nostalgic stimuli may more effectively reduce negative affect than autobiographical recall. Results clarify mixed literature by showing that state nostalgia primarily boosts positive affect and, depending on context, can buffer negative affect via increased gratitude.

The paper contributes evidence that nostalgia can causally improve emotional well-being through enhanced state gratitude, offering a practical route for brief interventions to elevate positive affect (and sometimes reduce negative affect). However, short-term nostalgia inductions do not appear to change cognitive well-being (life satisfaction). Theoretical implications highlight gratitude as a key proximal mechanism connecting nostalgia to affective benefits. Practical applications span mental health, aging, marketing, tourism, and coping with isolation (e.g., during pandemics). Future research should test diverse populations and contexts, explore types of nostalgia and boundary conditions, and examine longer-term or trait-level nostalgia effects on life satisfaction and other mediators (e.g., savoring, hope).

- Samples were university students, limiting generalizability; effects should be replicated across ages and backgrounds, especially older adults. - The study did not differentiate types of nostalgia (e.g., personal, interpersonal, cultural, historical, virtual), which may have distinct effects on SWB. - The manipulations elicited brief state nostalgia; life satisfaction may require longer-term interventions or relate more strongly to trait nostalgia. - The buffering of negative affect may depend on induction method and situational context; boundary conditions warrant further investigation.