If You’re Over 40, These 11 Things Will Always Feel Normal To You
Younger people might roll their eyes — but to you, it's just everyday life.
Jose Calsina | Shutterstock While generational values and lifestyles are always shifting as individuals enter new stages in their lives, there are certain consistencies that people over 40 today — specifically Gen Xers and baby boomers — share. According to experts from Johns Hopkins University, both of these age groups tend to fall into a “hustle culture” permeated by beliefs like “work hard, play hard” and “paying dues.” They’re regularly overlooking the importance of work-life balance, digital literacy, and even quality time alone, because they’re feeding into this broad mentality.
If you’re over 40, these things will always feel normal to you — it’s not only how you were raised, but what you were celebrated for early in adulthood and what you continue to do today. Outside of the “hustle and bustle” of work, these age demographics have also normalized many other habits, behaviors, and mentalities that are impossible to ignore.
If you’re over 40, these 11 things will always feel normal to you:
1. Memorizing phone numbers
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According to a survey from YouGov, nearly half of people admit that they can’t recall even a single phone number from memory — sometimes, even when it’s their own. However, if you’re over 40, these things will always feel normal to you — from childhood to adulthood, when you didn’t have the convenience of a digital contact list or phone book to help you out.
So, even if you have a friend or family member’s number in your phone, chances are you’re still holding yourself to the standard of having it memorized if you’re over 40 — showing off when other people who are entirely reliant on their contacts’ phones are dead.
2. Printing out directions
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Whether it’s using a paper map in the car on vacation or printing out MapQuest directions to visit a friend, opting for print directions over digital navigation systems is one of the things that always feels normal to you if you’re over 40.
Many younger generations, like Gen Z, are almost completely reliant on their phones to get where they need to go — even if it’s just a couple of blocks away. That’s why this practice — being able to read a physical map and follow directions — is not only a normal habit, but a life skill that ensures Gen Xers and baby boomers aren’t overly reliant on the convenience of their technology.
3. Watching cable TV
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While their younger counterparts have grown accustomed to getting their entertainment from their phones, social media, or endless streaming subscription services, many people over 40 are perfectly content with the same cable TV set-up they’ve had for years.
Not only is it more convenient from a time and skill perspective — they know where everything is, what channels they use, and where to find their shows — especially for baby boomers, it’s comfortable and familiar.
If you’re over 40, watching cable TV and finding shows using the guise will always feel normal to you, no matter how many people make the switch to streaming services and recommend you shows. Even if you end up purchasing Netflix or using other services, the navigation of cable TV will always stick with you.
4. Talking on the phone
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Rather than sending a text message, if you’re over 40, talking on the phone and leaving voicemails will always feel normal to you. For many baby boomers and Gen Xers, the practice of phone calls and talking on the phone is just more sentimental, intentional, and respectful than sending a text message — whether it’s a work-related issue or just a check-in with a friend.
However, for younger generations — who are widely uncomfortable with talking on the phone in general — they don’t consider text messages to be disrespectful, and instead prioritize them by ignoring calls and making meetings into email threads that are less intrusive and time-consuming.
5. Watching the news on TV
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Many younger generations of Gen Zers and millennials are struggling with the consequences of “media overload” on their mental, social, and physical health — consuming far too much news and reading endlessly negative headlines right from their phones.
However, for people over 40, who are largely navigating early adulthood and their childhoods without the temptation of technology or scrolling, it’s not surprising that only consuming the news on TV will always feel normal for them. They have innate boundaries with the news, because they can’t carry the television with them at all times — but they still have the option to dive deeper into headlines to stay informed if they choose to.
6. Balancing a checkbook by hand
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If you’re over 40, chances are that balancing a checkbook by hand or going through bills on paper will always feel normal to you.
Considering you didn’t grow up in a digital landscape where everyone was using technology for banking, education, work, and planning, it’s not surprising that there’s a level of fundamental distrust with things like putting your bank account online or using online banking options — at least for baby boomers.
According to technology professionals like Sam Cook, the majority of Gen Zers and millennials don’t even own a checkbook or use checks in their everyday lives. Still, they could benefit from the intentional practice of reviewing their bank accounts and sorting out misalignments between them and their spending habits.
7. Using a real alarm clock
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Rather than using their phone as an alarm clock, plugged in right next to their bed, people over 40 have grown accustomed to their physical alarm clocks. Not only are they familiar and comfortable — already rooted in their routines and lifestyles — they tend to be less unhealthy than using a phone immediately in the morning.
Of course, there are some reasons why this normality for older generations protects them from harm. According to sleep medicine physician Dr. Shalini Paruthi, keeping your phone in another room and using a traditional alarm clock not only protects you from sleep procrastination — things like doomscrolling before bed or being distracted by notifications — it also enhances your sleep quality and duration.
So, Gen Xers and baby boomers might be ridiculed by their younger counterparts for avoiding constant phone usage, but it’s their mental, social, and physical well-being that benefits in response.
8. Using cash
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Rather than relying on Apple Pay or a physical credit card in everyday life, if you’re over 40, using and budgeting with cash will likely always feel normal to you. According to an Empower survey, baby boomers “lead the pack” with cash purchases, while Gen Z and millennials opt for more convenient digital options.
Even if it seems like more work — going to physical bank locations, withdrawing cash, and managing it in a purse or wallet — it tends to benefit people following budgets. Not only are these frugal people unable to overspend with a certain amount of cash on their person, but they’re also more cognizant of the value of a dollar, using it and less pressured toward instant gratification.
9. Shopping in person
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According to a GWI study, more than half of Gen Zers prefer to shop online, with over 96% of them arguing they’ve purchased something online within the last month. However, for baby boomers and Gen Xers, who’ve grown accustomed to shopping in person stores and spending money on the internet, it’s not surprising that that alternative is more normal for them.
The “hustle culture” mentality that many of these older generations grew up within also generally influences their spending habits and consumer power — encouraging them to save, rather than spend, in contrast with many younger generations who don’t have many larger investments to look forward to.
10. Using physical calendars and planners
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Many younger generations, who’ve filtered their entire identity and structured their daily lives around the context of the internet, use online alternatives to things like calendars, planners, and phone books for convenience and accessibility.
However, research, like one study from the Journal of Consumer Psychology, reveals that Gen Xers and baby boomers using the physical versions of these things may benefit from doing so.
Not only do they support better time and task management, but they also boost motivation and productivity, giving people more intentional outlets for planning out their days, weeks, and months. So, if you’re over 40, these things will always feel normal to you — not just the act of writing in a planner or putting an event in a calendar, but reaping the benefits of doing so in your daily life.
11. Reading physical newspapers and magazines
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According to an investigation from the Media Manager, many older generations — like Gen Xers and baby boomers — are still investing in and consuming paper media formats like magazines and newspapers. They’re not only more familiar and comfortable to read, they’re nostalgic in the face of newer, convenient, flashy, and endlessly accessible digital options.
More data from the Pew Research Center also suggests that Gen Zers trust social media outlets more than older generations when it comes to getting their news and seeking out information, but for people who’re over 40, it’s print media and solid news organizations that they trust the most.
Zayda Slabbekoorn is a staff writer with a bachelor’s degree in social relations & policy and gender studies who focuses on psychology, relationships, self-help, and human interest stories.
