We examined the coping potential of nostalgia in an educational setting. In particular, we
investigated whether nostalgia can protect students from the pernicious link between threat
appraisal and low intrinsic motivation. Undergraduate students (N= 382) reported threat and
challenge appraisals in regards to a class they were taking, their nostalgia, as well as their
intrinsic motivation. Threat appraisals predicted reduced intrinsic motivation, but were also
prognostic of increased nostalgia. Nostalgia, in turn, was associated with increased intrinsic …