Abstract:

This research examines the effect of stress on consumers’ nostalgic preferences and the underlying mechanism. Using a survey and a lab experiment, we show that stress increases consumers’ nostalgic preferences. This is because stress induces anxiety, which in turn results in a lower sense of perceived control. Lower perceived control leads to higher nostalgic preference. We also find that other negative emotions induced by stress, such as sadness and fear, have no mediating effects on nostalgic preference. These findings suggest that consumers under stress tend to prefer nostalgic brands and products because they can enhance perceived control, but not because they can bring out positive emotions and thus alleviate the stress-associated negative emotions. Our research extends the current literatures on stress and nostalgia, and provides practitioners important implications for nostalgic marketing.

Key words: Stress, Anxiety, Perceived Control, Nostalgic Preference, Coping Strategy