Nostalgia was once regarded as a sentimental indulgence. Today, it is recognized as a complex phenomenon that regulates affect and reinforces meaning-making. As the world continues to move toward digitization, the persistence of nostalgia-driven attachment to traditional cinema spaces calls for re-examination, especially through emotional and cognitive lenses. This study investigates how cinematic environments, particularly single-screen and multiplex theatres, elicit and sustain nostalgic experiences in cross-cultural contexts.
A qualitative cross-cultural design was employed, using semi-structured interviews with cinema-goers, theatre owners, and film scholars from India (N = 12) and the United States of America (N = 19). Data was gathered across single-screen and multiplex settings to enable comparison of sensory, affective, and experiential dimensions of cinema-going. Cross-cultural contrasts suggest that nostalgia operates within collectivist frameworks in India and more individualized memory structures in the United States of America, offering insight into its psychological function across cultural contexts.
Findings suggest that nostalgia functions as a psychological homeostatic mechanism, mediating the tension between cultural change and emotional stability. Indian participants were seen to evoke collective nostalgia anchored in familial memories, while American participants articulated individualised nostalgia linked to aesthetic authenticity and symbolic belonging. Across contexts, nostalgia was found to facilitate emotional coherence, enhance resilience to change as well as strengthen the perceived continuity of culture and self.
This study seeks to advance consumer psychology by situating nostalgia as an emotion regulation process embedded in real-world experiences and shaped by the cultural context. It underscores the potential of affective memory as a tool for promoting psychological well-being and demonstrates how cinema is not just a site for entertainment but also an ongoing form of psychological integration.
