Tamerlan Tserenov

ENG21003

Professor Zayas

Annotated Bibliography 1&2

03.24.2025

 

Source 1:

The Bibliographic Entry:

Hussain, S. A., & Alhabash, S. (2022). Effect of nostalgia as a motivational force for

depressed students to seek professional psychological help. Journal of American

College Health, 70(2), 484–492. https://doi.org/10.1080/07448481.2020.1754838

 

The Summary:

The study by Hussein and Alhabash explores the impact of nostalgia as a motivating force that motivates college students suffering from depression to seek professional psychological help. The researchers conducted a study in which 148 students with varying levels of depression were randomly asked to watch either nostalgic social ads or standard ads about the support of an educational institution’s psychological center. Advertisements dedicated to memories of the past were noticeably more active in evoking positive feelings among the subjects than in the comparison group. These positive feelings helped to improve the perception of the counseling center and strengthen the determination to use its services. The study shows that nostalgic content can serve as an effective tactic to stimulate the desire of students with symptoms of depression to seek psychological help, enhancing positive feelings and reducing the tendency to seek support in the field of mental well-being. The study used an experimental design involving two groups which were the nostalgic PSA and the control group, and assessed the participants’ emotional reactions, their attitude to the counseling center, and behavioral intentions to seek help. A meditative analysis was conducted to assess the role of positive and negative emotions in influencing the behavior of those who seek help.

 

The Connection:

The study by Hussein and Alhabash shows the meaning of nostalgia in a positive light after conducting an experiment, helping students in the difficult decision-making process of dealing with depression. Thus, this work will help me in studying the issue of the harm or benefit of nostalgia on people due to the fact that the experiment showed a positive result in the fight against depression in students.

 

Quotes & Terms:

“Participants exposed to the nostalgic PSA expressed significantly more positive emotions compared to the control condition” (p. 485).

“The higher positive emotions participants felt, the more positive was their attitude toward the campus counseling center, which in turn increased behavioral intention to seek help” (p. 485).

 

 

 

 

 

Source 2:

The Bibliographic Entry:

Wood, A. M., & Johnson, J. (Eds.). (2016). The Wiley Handbook of Positive Clinical Psychology.

John Wiley & Sons, Incorporated. https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/ccny-ebooks/detail.action?docID=4513033

 

 

The Summary:

Constantine Sedikides and Tim Wildschut explore the psychological health benefits of nostalgia, describing it as an ambivalent yet mostly positive emotion. They argue that nostalgia serves as a psychological resource that helps people cope with distress and enhances well-being. Their research identifies three key areas where nostalgia provides benefits: social, self-related, and existential benefits. The authors conclude that nostalgia not only enhances psychological well-being but also acts as a buffer against negative experiences such as loneliness, stress, and boredom.

 

The Connection:

This reading is useful for understanding how nostalgia affects mental health and well-being. I can use this research to explore how nostalgia can be a coping mechanism in stressful situations or how it helps individuals maintain a sense of identity and purpose. I agree with the idea that nostalgia fosters social bonds, however, I still cannot agree with the statement that it supports emotional resilience.

 

Quotes & Terms:

“Nostalgia not only grants psychological health benefits, but it may also buffer against psychological threat. We conceptualize the regulatory role of nostalgia as follows. Threat (e.g., noxious stimulus or aversive psychological state) impacts negatively on the social, self‐related, or existential aspects of psychological functioning. However, the threat also triggers nostalgia. In turn, nostalgia alleviates or counteracts this negative impact. Stated otherwise, the negative direct impact of the noxious stimulus or aversive state is attenuated or offset by its positive indirect impact through nostalgia” (p. 130).