A tonic for the highly stressed: Memories of extraordinary group experiences lead to greater cohesion and well-being

Abstract

We investigate extraordinary group experiences to better understand how highly stressed consumers gain and preserve long-term well-being from their associated memories. We report the results of three studies that use experiments, a survey, and organizational data from Make-A-Wish. We find that groups who are profoundly stressed and share an extraordinary experience (e.g., families with a critically ill child) create memories that improve their well-being via enhanced cohesion, the perception that the group is stable, bonded, and enduring. We show that highly stressed consumers recharge basic psychological needs through extraordinary experiences and the benefits of these experiences are prolonged by collectively rehearsing the associated memories, a process that causes consumers to come together and experience increased well-being even years after the experience. Through our investigation of special memories, cohesion, and well-being, our results suggest that investments in extraordinary group experiences by the charitable wish sector and stressed consumers is money well spent with long-term benefits.