Date Thesis Awarded

5-2016

Access Type

Honors Thesis -- Access Restricted On-Campus Only

Degree Name

Bachelors of Science (BS)

Department

Psychology

Advisor

Christopher Ball

Committee Members

Peter Vishton

Paul Davies

Abstract

Nostalgia has recently grown as a popular subject of study. Much of the research on it, however, has not been conducted in a naturalistic way. The current experiments use a diary study to analyze aspects of nostalgia in a natural setting, including its emotional timeline and self-relevance. Results found that nostalgia can behave like an involuntary memory and indeed has an emotional curve. Results support previous research showing that nostalgia is most often positive and most often involves missing others. Some results also suggest that nostalgia may be relevant to one’s self-identity. Success of this diary study model illustrates that similar tasks can be used to study many more aspects of nostalgic experiences.

Recommended Citation

Thibault, Justin Leroy, "Bittersweet Recollection: An Ecological Study of Nostalgia" (2016). Undergraduate Honors Theses. William & Mary. Paper 952.
https://scholarworks.wm.edu/honorstheses/952