In an era dominated by smartphones, social media, and streaming services, an unexpected trend is emerging: young people are increasingly drawn to the analog past. Vinyl records, CDs, physical books, board games, thrift store vintage clothes shopping, and even roller skating are making a comeback.
Nostalgia is a powerful force in society. Consider, for instance, current politics. Donald Trump routinely leans on nostalgic feelings about an American past he considers bygone, while Kamala Harris embraced her own party’s nostalgic view of the Obamas and other former leaders during the Democratic National Convention. Nostalgia likely had in hand in driving Gen Z and Millennial support for a presidential run from former First Lady Michelle Obama, a popular public figure from their youth.
Political campaigns on both sides of politics lean into our sentimentality toward the past, but nostalgia is not a feeling exclusive to election year politics, nor is it a passing fad. My assessment, based on decades of research and consulting on the psychology of nostalgia, is that it’s a lasting trend that will grow as our lives become increasingly digital, reflecting a desire for tangible, real-world experiences.
Continue reading at Fortune.
Clay Routledge, PhD, is the Vice President of Research and Director of the Human Flourishing Lab at the Archbridge Institute. As a leading expert in existential psychology, his work focuses on helping people reach their full potential and build meaningful lives. Follow his work @clayroutledge and subscribe to his newsletter, Flourishing Fridays.
Psychology of Flourishing
In an era dominated by smartphones, social media, and streaming services, an unexpected trend is emerging: young people are increasingly drawn to the analog past. Vinyl records, CDs, physical books, board games, thrift store vintage clothes shopping, and even roller skating are making a comeback.
Nostalgia is a powerful force in society. Consider, for instance, current politics. Donald Trump routinely leans on nostalgic feelings about an American past he considers bygone, while Kamala Harris embraced her own party’s nostalgic view of the Obamas and other former leaders during the Democratic National Convention. Nostalgia likely had in hand in driving Gen Z and Millennial support for a presidential run from former First Lady Michelle Obama, a popular public figure from their youth.
Political campaigns on both sides of politics lean into our sentimentality toward the past, but nostalgia is not a feeling exclusive to election year politics, nor is it a passing fad. My assessment, based on decades of research and consulting on the psychology of nostalgia, is that it’s a lasting trend that will grow as our lives become increasingly digital, reflecting a desire for tangible, real-world experiences.
Continue reading at Fortune.
Clay Routledge
Clay Routledge, PhD, is the Vice President of Research and Director of the Human Flourishing Lab at the Archbridge Institute. As a leading expert in existential psychology, his work focuses on helping people reach their full potential and build meaningful lives. Follow his work @clayroutledge and subscribe to his newsletter, Flourishing Fridays.
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