Nostalgia: A Resource for Psychological Health
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Nostalgia is a positive emotional experience that involves revisiting cherished memories from one’s past. My colleagues and I have discovered that nostalgia encourages social belonging, supports well-being, and inspires positive views of the future. My research lab continues to explore the positive impact of nostalgic reflection. We also research ways to leverage nostalgia’s capacity to promote well-being and inspire positive beliefs to impact college success among underrepresented students. |
Selected Publications:
Abeyta, A. A., Corley, D., & Hasna, N. (under review). Nostalgia promotes positive beliefs about college belonging and success among first-generation college students.
Abeyta A. A., & Pillarisetty, S. (2023). Nostalgia supports a meaningful life. Current Opinion in Psychology, 49, Article 101520. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.copsyc.2022.101520
Abeyta, A. A., & Juhl, J. (2023). Nostalgia restores meaning in life for lonely people. Emotion, 23(6), 1791–1795. https://doi.org/10.1037/emo0001190
Abeyta, A. A., Routledge, C., & Kaslon, S. (2020). Combating loneliness with nostalgia: Nostalgic feelings attenuate negative thoughts and motivations associated with loneliness. Frontiers in Psychology, 11, Article 1219. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.01219
Abeyta, A. A., Nelson, T. A., & Routledge, C. (2019). The pushes and pulls of the past: The effects of attachment-related avoidance on approach-oriented social goals. Personality and Individual Differences, 149, 200-208. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2019.06.008
Abeyta, A. A., Routledge, C., & Juhl, J. (2015). Looking back to move forward: Nostalgia as a psychological resource for promoting relationship aspirations and overcoming relationship challenges. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 109, 1029-1044. https://doi.org/10.1037/pspi0000036
Abeyta, A. A., Routledge, C., Roylance, C., Wildschut, T., & Sedikides, C. (2015). The relationship between attachment-related avoidance and the social and agentic content of nostalgia. Journal of Personal and Social Relationships, 32, 406-413. https://doi.org/10.1177/0265407514533770
Meaning in Life is a Resource For Resilient Goal Pursuits
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Building on classic existential perspectives and motivation theory, I propose that meaning in life (i.e., peoples’ sense that their existence is coherent, significant, and purposeful) reinforces resilient goal pursuits to maintain meaning and overcome threats to meaning. First, our research suggests deficits in meaning encourage people to invest in beliefs and pursue goals to restore meaning, and that successful efforts to restore meaning in life contribute to psychological health. Second, our research suggests that healthy perceptions of meaning in life energize the resilient pursuit of goals/aspirations and contribute to human flourishing. |
Selected Publications:
Abeyta, A. A., Routledge, C., & FioRito, T. (under review). Existential agency: A resource for psychological functioning and goal motivation.
Trieu, E., & Abeyta, A. A. (2023). Finding meaning in education bolsters academic self-efficacy. International Journal of Applied Positive Psychology, 8, 383-403. https://doi.org/10.1007/s41042-023-00095-5
Routledge, C., FioRito, T. A., Bitzan, J. D., & Abeyta, A. A. (2021). Does existential well-being promote positive attitudes about entrepreneurs? Journal of Consumer Satisfaction, Dissatisfaction and Complaining Behavior, 34, 1-5. https://jcsdcb.com/index.php/JCSDCB/article/view/474
Abeyta, A. A., & Routledge, C. (2018). The need for meaning and religiosity: An individual differences approach to assessing existential needs. Personality and Individual Differences, 123, 6-13. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2017.10.038
Abeyta, A. A., Routledge, C., Kersten, M., & Cox, C. R. (2017). The existential cost of financial insecurity: Financial insecurity undermines perceptions of meaning in life. The Journal of Social Psychology, 157, 692-702. https://doi.org/10.1080/00224545.2016.1270892
Smith, A. J., Abeyta, A. A., Hughes, M., & Jones, R. T. (2015). Persistent grief in the aftermath of mass violence: The predictive roles of posttraumatic stress symptoms, self-efficacy, and disrupted worldview. Psychological Trauma: Theory, Research, Practice and Policy, 7, 179-186. https://doi.org/10.1037/tra0000002
Abeyta, A. A., Juhl, J., & Routledge, C. (2014). Exploring the effects of self-esteem and mortality salience on proximally and distally measured death-anxiety: A further test of the dual defense model of terror management. Motivation and Emotion, 38, 523-528. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11031-014-9400-y
Pathways to a Meaningful Life
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My research is focused on discovering the many, and sometimes surprising, ways that people satisfy the need for meaning in life. Financial/economic Rewards and Meaning in Life: One would typically assume that money would NOT contribute to meaning in life. However, my research indicates that external rewards can contribute to meaning for some people and in some contexts. We have found that narcissists derive meaning from the pursuit of wealth and that financial wealth can contribute to meaning to the extent that it reduces feelings of financial insecurity. Meta-emotional Competencies and Meaning in Life: Meta-emotional refers to the extent to which people think about their feelings, understand their feelings, and can actively repair negative feelings. My research indicates that thinking about, understanding, and repairing emotions is important for a meaningful life. Religious, Spiritual, and Supernatural Beliefs and Meaning in Life: Many people believe in things they cannot see or objectively verify. Religious people believe in God, UFO enthusiasts believe in abduction stories, and many people believe in the healing powers of crystals. My colleagues and I find that these unverifiable beliefs positively contribute to meaning in life. |
Selected Publications:
Abeyta, A. A., & Blake, E. (2020). The Existential implications of individual differences in religious defensive and growth orientations: Fundamentalism, quest religiosity, and intrinsic/extrinsic. In C. Routledge & K, Vail (Eds.), The science of religion, spirituality, and existentialism. New York, NY: Elsevier.
Nelson, T. A., Abeyta, A. A., & Routledge, C. (2021). Religion, paranormal beliefs, and meaning in life. Religion, Brain, and Behavior, 11, 139-149. https://doi.org/10.1080/2153599X.2020.1824938
Nelson, T. A., Abeyta, A. A., & Routledge, C. (2021). What makes life meaningful for theists and atheists? Psychology of Religion and Spirituality, 13(1), 111–118. https://doi.org/10.1037/rel0000282
Nelson, T. A., Abeyta, A. A., & Routledge, C. (2020). Does Meaning Motivate Magical Thinking Among Theists and Atheists? Social Psychological and Personality Science, 11(2), 176–184. https://doi.org/10.1177/1948550619829063
Abeyta, A. A., Routledge, C., & Sedikides, C. (2017). Material meaning: Narcissists gain greater existential benefits from extrinsic than intrinsic goals. Social Psychological and Personality Science, 8, 219-228. https://doi.org/10.1177/1948550616667618
Routledge, C., Abeyta, A. A., & Roylance, C. (2017). We are not alone: meaning motive, religiosity, and belief in extraterrestrial intelligence. Motivation and Emotion, 41, 135-146. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11031-017-9605-y
Routledge, C., Abeyta, A. A., Roylance, C. (2016). An existential function of evil: The effects of religiosity and compromised meaning on belief in magical forces. Motivation and Emotion, 40, 681-688. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11031-016-9571-9
Abeyta, A. A., Routledge, C., Juhl, J., & Robinson, M. D. (2015). Finding meaning through emotional understanding: Emotional clarity predicts meaning in life and adjustment to existential threat. Motivation and Emotion, 39, 973-983. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11031-015-9500-3