Examining Minor League Baseball Spectator Nostalgia: A Neuroscience Perspective

Eric Hungenberg, Mark Slavich, Andrew Bailey and Taylor Sawyer

Sport Management Review, 2020, vol. 23, issue 5, 824-837

Abstract: •Novel methods yielded comparatively more objective nostalgia research findings.•Results exhibited relationship between fans’ neurological traits and nostalgia.•Visual, sound, and social interaction stimuli elicited most nostalgic responses.•Nostalgia was most experienced during middle of game experience.•Nostalgia maintained positive relationship with attendees’ behavioral intentions.The purpose of this study was to explore nostalgia’s effect on MiLB spectators’ psychological, emotional, and behavioral responses. Mobile encephalography (EEG) headsets were used to monitor attendees’ neurological responses that may be indicative of nostalgia, while an ecological momentary assessment (EMA) permitted the capturing of spectators’ self-reported nostalgic levels. This approach allowed participants’ mental scores to be analyzed in relationship to their nostalgic occurrences. Brainwave frequencies emblematic of inward attention and arousal were significantly related with the number of instances spectators reported feeling nostalgic, which denote mental dispositions prevalent among attendees more prone to nostalgia. Moreover, PROCESS macro regression highlighted nostalgia’s ability to influence spectators’ behavioral intentions. Results also revealed environmental stimuli originating from sight, sound, and sociability to be especially prominent in triggering nostalgia. Overall, the study’s findings reveal unique characteristics present in baseball that render both immediate and enduring effects.

Date: 2020
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DOI: 10.1016/j.smr.2020.04.001

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