Counteracting Loneliness

TLDR

Nostalgia serves as a psychological resource that supports mental health. The study examined whether nostalgia mitigates loneliness‑induced declines in perceived social support. Loneliness lowers perceived social support directly but boosts it indirectly through increased nostalgia, especially among resilient individuals.

Abstract

Four studies tested whether nostalgia can counteract reductions in perceived social support caused by loneliness. Loneliness reduced perceptions of social support but increased nostalgia. Nostalgia, in turn, increased perceptions of social support. Thus, loneliness affected perceived social support in two distinct ways. Whereas the direct effect of loneliness was to reduce perceived social support, the indirect effect of loneliness was to increase perceived social support via nostalgia. This restorative function of nostalgia was particularly apparent among resilient persons. Nostalgia is a psychological resource that protects and fosters mental health.