The Effectiveness of Evoking Reminiscence on Nostalgia State and the Role of Nostalgia into Empathy Action: Role of Gender and Personal Justification

The goal of the present study was to explore some implication of nostalgia as a non-moral emotion for facilitation of empathy as a moral emotion. As well as finding out the method that can be utilized to have more nostalgic feeling in order to have more empathy. Doctoral and graduate student of Shiraz University were the statistical population of this research. 71 students (34 females, 37 males) participated in this research. Participants were divided into two groups (30 memory, 41nostalgic) by random assignment and responded to manipulation check (MCHI) and empathy action situation test (EAMT). The result showed that reminiscences intervention versus ordinary intervention has good effect in having nostalgia. Also, nostalgic group was significantly different on empathy situations. Role of gender was not significant. Role of personal justification nearly confirmed and showed that nostalgic group has more tendency to empathy and other-oriented justification.