Baby Boomers Have Zero Use For These 11 Modern Day Gen Z Habits
Ulza | Shutterstock While there’s a serious generational gap between baby boomers and Gen Zers in today’s society, in many aspects of life, a study from Futures argues that they share certain traits, like balance, growth, and intrinsic rewards. While some of their values are the same, there are certain lifestyle characteristics, habits, and behaviors that clearly define these two generations in wildly different ways.
From texting instead of calling, creating hobbies without compensation, and even researching topics they find interesting, baby boomers have zero use for certain modern day Gen Z habits that shape their routines. Their daily routines look much different, and while there’s no “right” or “wrong” way to live, they find value in their personal, hyper-specific daily rituals.
Baby boomers have zero use for these 11 modern day Gen Z habits
1. Texting instead of calling
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While Gen Zers leverage texting to avoid social anxiety, uncertainty, and inconveniences compared to phone calls on an everyday basis, boomers are known to prefer face-to-face communication or “live” conversations.
Not only does it feel more thoughtful, but boomers also believe phone calls feel more “respectful” than a text message, whether it’s to a loved one or interacting with a co-worker. If they’re going to text someone, it’s only going to be because someone didn’t answer the phone or they don’t actually have the time for a phone call, not to protect their own effort and comfort.
2. Venmo requesting money from friends
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Gen Zers are the primary users and consumers of digital wallets, including payment apps like Venmo. From splitting up dinner payments with friends to requesting money for gas on roadtrips, they have no shame in “asking” for money, even from their close friends and family.
However, with an underlying kind of money stigma in their lives, baby boomers have zero use for these modern day Gen Z habits. If they have the financial comfort to do so, they’re often taking on small favors and acts of kindness with money without expecting anything in return.
From buying coffees to picking up the tab at dinner, they have a much different mindset when it comes to spending in everyday life when other people are around.
3. Entertaining multiple people or ‘situationships’
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While Gen Zers often need a certain level of physicality and experience with a potential partner before commitment, boomers’ values and perspective on dating take an opposing stance. From “courtship” in early stages of dating to making commitments, they tend to value focusing their energy and attention on one person, instead of dating multiple people at the same time.
Even entertaining “situationships” without labels or expectations is one of the things baby boomers have zero use for. Either they want a partner to spend time with, or they’d prefer to spend their personal time investing in themselves, loved ones, friendships, and their career.
Of course, experts suggest that dating apps not only create an “illusion of choice” that keeps people from committing to a relationship or partner, but they also encourage us to choose the wrong people based on initial snap judgments of profiles and appearance. So, even though they’re ingrained in modern dating culture, it doesn’t necessarily mean they’re entirely healthy for younger generations to leverage for love.
4. Using therapy as self-care
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Especially for boomers who grew up in a time when seeking help for and speaking out about individual mental health was relatively stigmatized and taboo, it’s not surprising that using therapy for self-care and speaking about conversations in therapy are some of the modern day Gen Z habits they have no use for.
Gen Zers have a relatively progressive stance on therapy, compared to older generations, and often use it as a form of self-care and wellness, rather than a way to address a specific trauma or problem. Much like having quality time with friends boosts happiness and movement outside predicts better health outcomes, therapy is a tool to practice emotional intelligence that adds to well-being.
However, baby boomers have zero use for these modern day Gen Z habits, because they’re often still existing under the weight of mental health stigma. From avoiding asking for help to suppressing their complex emotions, they may still have a complicated relationship with accepting therapy as self-care, even with their added life experience and self-esteem.
5. Canceling plans at the last minute
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While Gen Zers are socialized into “protecting their peace” and living selfishly in our modern culture, baby boomers have zero use for habits like canceling plans at the last minute or ghosting someone to avoid making themselves uncomfortable. They have a strong work ethic, but they also don’t run from discomfort and inconvenience.
They’re endlessly loyal to their jobs, to their people, and to their routines. They’re not going to run from discomfort for a sense of fleeting control.
6. Filming and taking photos non-stop
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While screen time and a dependence on their phones might be subtly rising among baby boomers, the difference between Gen Z’s relationship with their phones and this generation is starkly different. While Gen Zers often find a sense of belonging, attention, and security from taking photos non-stop and curating a specific image on their socials, boomers use technology as a mode of connection and communication with the people already in their lives.
Boomers aren’t interested in oversharing everything about their routine, seeking validation, or trying to be someone they’re not. They only want to have the convenience of connecting with friends, catching up with family, and sharing bonding phone calls from the comfort of their own homes.
7. ‘Researching’ on TikTok
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Considering baby boomers grew up in a time when cell phones and social media didn’t yet exist to the extent they do today, it’s not surprising that using apps like TikTok as “search engines” for research is one of the things boomers have zero use for in the modern world. They’re not afraid to crack open a book, read through long passages of writing, or invest themselves in research.
If they’re curious about something, they know how to research and answer their questions, while Gen Z uses social media much like boomers used the Yellow Pages, library, or face-to-face communication.
8. Tracking their health constantly
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Especially as Gen Z continues to feed new preventative health and wellness trends, their daily habits and priorities change. From seemingly harmless things like skincare and workout classes, to using “Oura Rings” to track biometrics and getting cosmetic procedures, baby boomers have zero use for these modern day Gen Z habits.
Of course, baby boomers should consider preventative health around sleep, movement, and eating habits, and be relatively aware of their personal wellness. But to the scale that Gen Z makes these things into a trendy luxury and status symbol, they’re not interested.
9. Using astrology as a life guide
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While most Americans, regardless of age, have some level of acceptance and awareness of astrology in their lives, according to a survey from the Harris Poll, the modern trendiness of it in daily life often integrates it into Gen Zers’ lives in a much deeper way.
From informing how they behave to influencing their daily moods, they often accept and implement it in a much different way than their boomer counterparts. While some older generations find security and comfort in divine guidance and astrology, it’s largely one of the things they have zero use for.
10. Prioritizing work-life balance over loyalty
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While boomers and Gen Zers share the core value of balance in their lives, it manifests differently across their generations. For example, boomers tend to lead with loyalty at work, accepting the “family” dynamic some offices leverage, and overworking to prove their loyalty. However, younger generations like Gen Zers prioritize their personal time, energy, and work-life balance, and often refuse to sacrifice their time consistently for a job.
From calling in to work for “wellness” or “mental health” days to refusing to bring their work home, baby boomers have zero use for these modern day Gen Z habits.
11. Comparing salaries and talking about money
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While Gen Z’s open adoption of money conversations and expectations of salary transparency in their friendships and social circles help to dismantle the shame and stigma associated with finances in our culture, that doesn’t mean that baby boomers are entirely on board.
Especially having grown up in a time when money conversations only happened at home and in private, accepting this level of vulnerability and openness in public still feels controversial and taboo.
Zayda Slabbekoorn is a senior editorial strategist with a bachelor’s degree in social relations & policy and gender studies who focuses on psychology, relationships, self-help, and human interest stories.
