Nostalgia For The Past Boosts Optimism For The Future, Study Suggests

Posted on November 30, 2013

Thinking fondly about the past can make you more excited about what's to come, according to a new study.

Nostalgia seems to spur optimism for the future because it "raises self-esteem which in turn heightens optimism," study researcher Dr. Tim Wildschut, of the University of Southampton, said in a statement.

"Memories of the past can help to maintain current feelings of self-worth and can contribute to a brighter outlook on the future," he added. "Our findings do imply that nostalgia, by promoting optimism, could help individuals cope with psychological adversity."

Both nostalgia and optimism have been linked with positive outcomes in past research. A 2011 study in the Journal of Consumer Research, for instance, showed that nostalgia seems to make people more charitable. A 2010 study in the journal Psychological Science, on the other hand, suggested that optimism could actually improve health by boosting the body's immune response.

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Source material from Huffington Post