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Published on: March 27, 2019
Music-evoked nostalgia: affect, memory, and personality.
Frederick S Barrett1, Kevin J Grimm, Richard W Robins
1Department of Psychology, Center for Mind and Brain, University of California, Davis, CA 95618, USA.
Emotion (Washington, D.C.)
|June 3, 2010
Summary
Music-evoked nostalgia is linked to personal memories, emotions, and familiarity. Individual traits like nostalgia proneness significantly amplify these nostalgic feelings, connecting music to deep emotional experiences.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Music Psychology
- Affective Science
Background:
- Music is a powerful trigger for autobiographical memories and emotions.
- Understanding the factors influencing music-evoked nostalgia is crucial for affective science.
- Individual differences may play a significant role in the intensity of nostalgic experiences.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the relationship between music characteristics and feelings of nostalgia.
- To examine how individual differences moderate the music-nostalgia connection.
- To identify personality traits associated with nostalgia proneness.
Main Methods:
- Participants listened to popular music excerpts and rated their nostalgic feelings.
- Statistical analyses were used to assess the impact of song features and individual differences.
- Measures included nostalgia proneness, mood, Affective Neurosciences Personality Scale, and Big Five Inventory.
Main Results:
- Nostalgia was stronger for songs that were autobiographically salient, arousing, and familiar.
- Music-evoked nostalgia correlated with a higher number of positive, negative, and mixed emotions.
- Nostalgia proneness predicted stronger nostalgic experiences and was linked to the Sadness dimension and Neuroticism.
Conclusions:
- Music-evoked nostalgia is a complex phenomenon influenced by song characteristics and personal relevance.
- Individual differences, particularly nostalgia proneness, significantly shape the nostalgic experience.
- Nostalgia is associated with a range of emotions, including both joy and sadness.
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