Investigating Gratitude and Nostalgia: A Research Proposal Examining the Chain Mediating Roles of Self-Compassion and Meaning in Life

Abstract

Nostalgia is a multifaceted, ego-driven social emotion that emerges during reflections on the past and encourages prosocial behaviors. Gratitude is regarded as both a temperament and a moral sentiment aimed at an elevated state of acknowledgment, playing a significant role in fostering positive psychological outcomes. Besides, self-compassion is characterised by three fundamental elements: mindfulness, common humanity, and self-kindness, the act of treating oneself with kindness and empathy when confronted with difficulties, which can help alleviate emotional distress and promote emotional recovery, which means in life is defined as an individual's subjective perception that their life possesses coherence, purposefulness, and meaningfulness. This research proposal will provide a feasibility programme for future formal studies. Study 1 intends to recruit 160 participants online through a questionnaire, while Study 2 plans for online recruitment of 210 participants, employing an experimental approach to manipulate nostalgia versus non-nostalgia conditions. The results will likely indicate a positive relationship between nostalgia and gratitude, with self-compassion and meaning in life acting as chain mediators in explaining how nostalgia promotes gratitude. In other words, nostalgia can facilitate the experience of gratitude through a chain of mediating factors, including self-compassion and meaning in life.