PERSONAL NOSTALGIA, WORLD-VIEW, MEMORY, AND EMOTIONALITY

Batcho's 1995 Nostalgia Inventory was completed by 210 respondents, 88 males and 122 females, ranging in age from 5 to 79 years old. Subject s scoring high on the Nostalgia Inventory rated the past more favorabl y than did subjects scoring low on the inventory but did not differ in ratings of the present or future. High-scoring individuals rated them selves more emotional, with stronger memories, need for achievement, a nd preference for activities with other people, but not as less happy, risk or thrill seeking, religious, logical, easily bored, or expectin g to succeed. In a second study, 113 undergraduates, 32 men and 81 wom en, completed measures of nostalgia, memory, and personality. High-sco ring subjects showed no advantage in free recall over low-scoring subj ects but recalled more people-oriented autobiographical memories. Indi viduals scoring high on nostalgia were no more optimistic, pessimistic , or negatively emotional but scored higher on a measure of emotional intensify. Personal nostalgia was distinguished from social-historical nostalgia and world view. Results were discussed with respect to majo r theoretical approaches.