Abstract
Japanese people’s experience of nostalgia was investigated and difference between nostalgia in Japan, and in English-speaking countries were compared. Undergraduate student participants (N＝61) were divided into three conditions: “nostalgic recollection”, “ordinary recollection”, and “positive recollection”. Content analysis indicated that consistent with previous studies, Japanese students describe more about themselves, or about a relationship with a specific person during nostalgic narratives than in other narratives. However, the proportion of description including acceptance of the past was lower than in previous studies. Results also indicated that less positive and more negative affect were observed in the nostalgic recollection condition than in the other two conditions. In addition, there was more “bittersweet” affect in the nostalgic recollection condition. Furthermore, no appreciable differences were observed in the three conditions in relation to the three major functions of nostalgia―self-esteem, meaning in life, and perceived social support. We have discussed the necessity for exploring the uniqueness of nostalgia in Japan compared to that in English-speaking countries.
