Nostalgia Potentiates a Positive and Attainable Future
Nostalgia is defined as a self-relevant and social emotion. The content of nostalgic accounts features the self as protagonist, albeit embedded with close others into momentous occasions. Also, nostalgic content entails more expressions of positive than negative affect, and depicts redemption than contamination life scenes. Nostalgia has remarkable implications for one’s future. It promotes an approach (vs. avoidance) orientation. It raises optimism, and it does so by boosting social connectedness (a sense of support, belongingness, and acceptance) and subsequently lifting self-esteem.  It increases creativity, and it does by bolstering openness to experience. And it kindles prosociality, such as intentions to donate and actual monetary donations. Far from reflecting escapism from the present, nostalgia potentiates a positive, attainable future.
Date: 9 February 2017, 12:00 (Thursday, 4th week, Hilary 2017)
Venue: Tinbergen Building, South Parks Road OX1 3PS
Venue Details: Lecture Theatre C
Speaker: Professor Constantine Sedikides (University of Southampton)
Organising department: Department of Experimental Psychology
Organiser: Professor Kia Nobre (University of Oxford)
Organiser contact email address: hod.secretary@psy.ox.ac.uk
Host: Professor Miles Hewstone (University of Oxford)
Part of: Departmental Seminar Series (Experimental Psychology)
Topics:
Booking required?: Not required
Audience: Members of the University only
Editor: Charlotte Thompson-Grant