Who I Am Is Not Who I Was: Temporal Comparisons Mediate the Effect of Listening to Nostalgic Music on Well-Being

Abstract

Although social comparison theory has long dominated communication research, no studies have applied its corollary premise, temporal comparison theory. An experiment examined how listening to nostalgic music influenced college students’ engagement in two types of temporal comparisons: downward (i.e., musings about how their lives have improved over time) and upward (i.e., musings about how their lives have worsened over time). Results indicated that listening to nostalgic music increased both types of comparisons, but the relative prevalence of each type varied by participants’ reported level of homesickness. Among participants low in homesickness, nostalgic music triggered more downward (relative to upward) temporal comparisons, which enhanced their subjective well-being. Conversely, participants high in homesickness reported equivalent levels of both types of comparisons, and they exhibited no changes in well-being. These findings highlight the value of integrating temporal comparison theory into communication research.