Blissed by the past: Theorizing media-induced nostalgia as an audience response factor for entertainment and well-being

Research found media to contribute to human well-being via hedonic and non-hedonic entertainment experiences. In this connection, research has seldom taken memories about preceding media exposure into consideration for their impact on present media use. Media-induced nostalgia-defined as bittersweet and fundamentally social emotion that is elicited by remembering or re-experiencing media content and technologies from the past-serves a self-oriented, existential and social function. We propose that by serving these functions, media-induced nostalgia contributes to hedonic and non-hedonic entertainment experiences and influences psychological and subjective well-being. We review existing literature on two-process models of entertainment, well-being, and nostalgia. Consequently, we provide a framework for integrating media-induced nostalgia into the complex field of media entertainment.