Chinese Nostalgia Scale – Chinese Version

Description

As people’s daily life philosophies have shifted, modern individuals have increasingly embraced nostalgia. This is reflected in everyday fashion trends, artists’ pursuits such as the revival of old songs in music, and even a surge of interest in archaeology within the scientific community. These social and artistic phenomena demonstrate that nostalgia is no longer confined to an individual’s personal growth journey or life experiences but has, to some extent, transcended the individualized, emotional, and psychological domains, becoming a socialized and collective event, a widespread social and cultural phenomenon. Although this has sparked discussions and reflections from multiple perspectives, genuine empirical research on the phenomenon of nostalgia from psychological and sociological viewpoints has only recently begun. Nostalgia is a form of positive thinking and a complex emotion, arising from past experiences, people, or events. Psychologists describe nostalgia as a longing for a past that evokes both joy and sorrow; it is a self-referential social emotion, where the self often dominates nostalgic memories and is frequently related to close others. Researchers emphasize that nostalgia is a complex emotional experience primarily characterized by positive feelings, which may also be accompanied by some negative emotions. An increasing body of empirical evidence suggests that nostalgia plays a pivotal role in human life, benefiting individuals’ mental and physical health by stimulating positive emotional experiences, enhancing self-regard, maintaining self-continuity, strengthening social connectedness, increasing existential meaning, and promoting prosocial behavior; it can even enhance pain tolerance to some extent. On a societal level, nostalgia holds economic value as well, with marketing professionals finding that nostalgic advertising can boost consumer preference for products, increase purchase intentions, and enhance brand attitudes. Hence, nostalgia plays an increasingly significant role in modern human life, and a comprehensive overview of its nature and functions can be found in the review by Xue Jing and Huang Xiting.

Authors and Contact Email

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Purpose

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Test Year

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Administration Method and Scoring

The nostalgia tendency scale (Chinese Nostalgia Scale, CHINOS) was administered through a cluster sampling method among college students in three ordinary universities in Hubei, Henan, and Guangxi. A total of 500 questionnaires were distributed on-site, with 492 valid questionnaires retrieved, resulting in a return rate of 98.4%. The sample comprised 135 males and 357 females, 192 from urban areas and 295 from rural areas. There were 163 only children and 329 non-only children, with the breakdown being 123 freshmen, 138 sophomores, 128 juniors, and 103 seniors; 210 from humanities and 282 from sciences. The average age of participants was 20.87 years (SD=1.23). A 5-point Likert scale was used for scoring (1 = “strongly disagree”, 5 = “strongly agree”). The overall mean score was calculated, with higher scores indicating a greater nostalgia tendency.

Reliability and Validity

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Factors and Subscales

The nostalgia tendency is divided into three dimensions:
– 人际怀旧 (interpersonal nostalgia, IN)
– 家庭怀旧 (family nostalgia, FN)
– 个人怀旧 (personal nostalgia, PN)

Keywords

Nostalgia, Consumer Behavior, Brand Preference, Chinese Nostalgia Scale, Empirical Research

Items in Chinese

1. 现在的人变得越来越功利了。
2. 现在的人活得比以前累多了。
3. 现在的人不如以前朴实了。
4. 现在的人际关系比以前复杂得多。
5. 现在人们的生活节奏太快了。
6. 过去和家人在一起的时光是值得珍惜的。
7. 我经常想起小时候家人对我的关爱。
8. 我对自己过去的经历充满感恩。
9. 小时候的家庭生活让我感觉幸福。
10. 过去的那些老歌，现在听起来让人回味无穷。
11. 我经常想起小时候难忘的事。
12. 很久以前的那些电视剧／电影，至今我仍然喜欢看。
13. 小时候吃过的那个口味，我至今仍然喜欢。
14. 我怀念过去生活过的地方。

Items in English

1. People nowadays have become more utilitarian.
2. People today live more exhaustingly than before.
3. People nowadays are not as simple as they used to be.
4. Interpersonal relationships are much more complicated today than in the past.
5. The pace of life today is too fast.
6. The time spent with family in the past is something to cherish.
7. I often recall the love my family had for me during my childhood.
8. I am grateful for my past experiences.
9. Childhood family life made me feel happy.
10. The old songs from the past still evoke fond memories when I listen to them today.
11. I often think of unforgettable moments from my childhood.
12. I still enjoy watching TV shows/movies from long ago.
13. I still like the flavors I had during childhood.
14. I miss the places I lived in the past.

References

李斌, 马红宇, 李爱梅, 凌文辁. 怀旧的触发、研究范式及测量[J]. 心理科学进展, 2015, 23(07): 1289-1298.
张艳. 怀旧倾向与参照群体对老龄消费者中华老字号品牌偏好的影响研究[D]. 吉林大学, 2012.
方建东, 常保瑞. 怀旧与亲社会行为的关系: 一个有中介的调节模型[J]. 心理发展与教育, 2019, 35(03): 303-311. DOI:10.16187/j.cnki.issn1001-4918.2019.03.07.
何佳讯. 我们如何怀念过去? 中国文化背景下消费者怀旧倾向量表的开发与比较 验证怀旧倾向与怀旧产品购买行为研究[J]. 营销科学学报, 2010, (10): 30-50.