Sport participants’ well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic: the roles of nostalgia, resilience, and curiosity

In the context of a pandemic, this study uses the broaden-and-build theory of positive emotions to examine how feelings of nostalgia could have a positive effect on well-being through willingness to explore novel behaviours and resilience. In total, 328 sport participants were recruited during the COVID-19 pandemic in Singapore. Results indicated that nostalgia positively affected individuals’ willingness to explore novel behaviours and resilience. Willingness to explore novel behaviours had a positive effect on resilience. In addition, both willingness to explore novel behaviours and resilience positively affected well-being. The findings of this study expand the body of knowledge on the role of nostalgia and its impact on psychological resources that sport participants can potentially gain in spite of the reduction in their time participating in sport due to pandemic restrictions.