Attitudes and Emotions as Determinants of Nostalgia Purchases: An Application of Social Identity Theory

Nostalgia implies a yearning for the past, and the feeling or mood that accompanies nostalgia has the capacity to affect preferences for possessions that generate nostalgic responses (Holak and Havlena 1998). To examine this phenomenon, we ground a dual process model in Social Identity Theory, which has not been applied previously to studies of nostalgic consumer behavior. Using a structural equation model, empirical results show that consumers' intentions to purchase nostalgic products are simultaneously affected by a yearning for and attitudes about the past. Marketing implications and future research directions are discussed.