Experiencing time elapse phenomenon in nostalgia: effect on consumption behavior in adulthood

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to understand how mental time traveling impacts consumption by triggering nostalgia. The effects of nostalgic behavior are explored further in regards of its impact on dears and nears.

Design/methodology/approach

This study is based on qualitative information from in-depth interviews. In total, 30 parents with children form Chihuahua, Mexico, answer to a semi-structured interview. Participants presented nostalgic orientation.

Findings

Nostalgic individual move back and forward in time through memory retrieval. Retrieval's quality is related to social impact during memory creation and retrieval process. Nostalgia is not only a cognitive process, but it manifests on behaviors that affects people around the nostalgic individuals. In the context of parent–child relationship, sharing nostalgia is useful for creating new bond across participants.

Research limitations/implications

Contributions toward theory of memory, nostalgia and social learning were made. Result suggests social implications on nostalgic behavior because social interaction is important for quality of memory retrieval. Behavioral implications are discussed in the context of parent–child relationship and the use of nostalgia to develop new and stronger bonds. Companies should develop strategies that privilege social moments around brands to increase memory retrieval quality and nostalgia.

Practical implications

Companies should develop strategies that create social moments around brands to increase memory retrieval quality and nostalgia. Additionally, using social moments on communications could trigger nostalgia and detonates consumption behavior.

Originality/value

The research builds on previous studies about nostalgia. However, this research focusses on mental time travel along nostalgic memories that individuals perform every day to take decisions that affects them and their loved ones. The value of nostalgia on building relationships through consumption is analyzed. The results were obtained from the Mexican context that has not been explored before on nostalgia research.

Citation

Sotelo-Duarte, M. and Rajagopal (2022), "Experiencing time elapse phenomenon in nostalgia: effect on consumption behavior in adulthood", Qualitative Research Journal, Vol. 22 No. 4, pp. 559-578. https://doi.org/10.1108/QRJ-03-2022-0052