The mnemonic muse: Nostalgia fosters creativity through openness to experience ¬リニ

• We examined the effect of nostalgia on creativity. • Four experiments show that nostalgia increased creativity. • The effect of nostalgia emerged above and beyond general positive affect. • The effect of nostalgia on creativity was mediated by openness to experience. a b s t r a c t a r t i c l e i n f o We proposed and tested the hypothesis that nostalgia fosters creativity. In Experiments 1 and 2, we examined whether nostalgia increases creativity. Nostalgia, relative to control, sparked creative prose in a writing task. We proceeded to test the mediating role of openness to experience. As hypothesized, openness to experience emerged as a plausible mediator of nostalgia's positive influence on creativity in Experiment 3. Finally, in Experiment 4, nostalgia, mediated by openness, boosted creativity above and beyond positive affect. The findings showcase the relevance of nostalgic reverie for the present and future, and establish nostalgia as a force of creative endeavors. Nostalgia, 'a sentimental longing or wistful affection for the past' (The New Oxford Dictionary of English, 1998), has been linked to creativity. Nearly 3000 years ago, Homer famously crafted the epic poem about Odysseus, whose nostalgic yearning for homeland and family fueled his conquests over temptations and monstrosities The cultural association of nostalgia with the aforementioned creative works may suggest that nostalgia is a conservative, traditionalist sentiment. After all, authors have argued that nostalgia takes people back to a glorified past (Flinn, 1992). (Cheung et al., 2013). In all, nostalgia harnesses the past for engaging with the present and future. Consistent with this view, we hypothesize that nostalgia fosters creativity and influences creative expression. We begin by reviewing the literatures on creativity and nostalgia. Creativity In order to qualify as creative, ideas or behaviors need to be both original and useful (Feist, 1998). Thus, creativity involves a utilitarian contribution and not just an unorthodox one, and in that way can be distinguished from mere originality or divergent thinking. The quality and frequency of creativity are a function of both individual differences