Nostalgia relieves the disillusioned mind

Disillusionment arises when life experiences strongly discredited positive assumptions or deeply help beliefs. Under these conditions, people feel lost, confused, and disconnected from their social environments. Ultimately, disillusioned individuals struggle to maintain meaning inhabit a state of existential concern. However, the past can provide solace as refuge connection. Indeed, nostalgic reflection is commonly cited source in life. Accordingly, we investigated if could rely on reverie bolster, reestablish, diminished perceptions meaning, three experiments. In Study 1, confirmed that experimentally induced disillusionment lowers meaning. 2, caused retrieve events memory recall task, feelings nostalgia subsequently suppressed effect Finally, 3, manipulated both nostalgia, before measuring meaningfulness. Only participants who did not engage suffered meaning-loss. These results convergent evidence for nostalgia-as-meaning resource hypothesis further support well-established psychological benefits nostalgia. Our findings delineate common story our time; citizens replenish reaffirm thoughts fondness glory.