More than an Anxiety Machine: How Nostalgic Social Media Use Promotes Positive Affect,Self-Regard,and Meaning in Life

Abstract

Two web-based experiments were conducted during (Study 1, N = 451) and after the COVID-19 pandemic (Study 2, N = 431) to investigate (a) if revisiting nostalgic social media posts yields psychological benefits by mentally transporting people to meaningful past moments and (b) whether such effects depend on how strongly one feels connected to their past self (i.e., self-continuity). Participants were asked to browse through their own social media posts that captured either a memorable life event (nostalgic condition) or a mundane, daily event (ordinary condition). In Study 1, engaging with nostalgic (vs. ordinary) posts facilitated mental transportation, which enhanced positive affect, self-regard, and meaning in life, but such effects emerged only for those with lower levels of self-continuity. Those high in self-continuity exhibited consistently high levels of mental transportation, regardless of the type of posts. Study 2 largely replicated Study 1 findings, except that (a) nostalgic posts facilitated mental transportation across all levels of self-continuity, and (b) psychological benefits of nostalgic social media use were not observed for self-regard. Results are discussed as to how reliving the past on social media platforms may improve individuals’ subjective well-being and how macro-level stressors such as COVID-19 may moderate such effects.