If Someone Still Brags About These 11 Habits, They’re Definitely From An Older Generation
People in older generations enjoy reminiscing about the highlights of their lives.
PeopleImages / Shutterstock There's something striking about people who tend to harp on nostalgia and can't seem to get enough of the "good 'ole days." It's those who talk about their old habits and brag about how things used to be for them. Usually, though, when you catch someone bragging about certain habits that they used to do, you can almost always tell that they're from an older generation. It can be kind of entertaining, though, as it allows you to get just a little glimpse into the kind of world they were living in. Considering life tends to move quite fast, what used to be normal back in the day is now completely outdated.
Things from technology, music, movies, and even something as simple as the way people used to live are all things that may feel hard for people who were born in the current generation to wrap their heads around. But to someone who grew up with these habits, it's comforting to remember the way things used to be. It's them reminiscing about the fact that life used to be a lot slower when they were growing up, and how starkly different those things are now that they're much older. Being able to listen to older generations talk about how things used to be for them can just be such a refreshing interaction, as it's just another look into how much we've continued to evolve as a society.
If someone brags about these 11 habits, they're definitely from an older generation:
1. Owning a landline phone
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There was once a time, before cellphones and even the internet, when people mostly communicated through their landline phone. It was attached to the wall or plugged into the outlet, and older generations would spend hours just chatting away to their friends and loved ones. They're pretty rare these days as it is, with more than three-quarters of Americans living in homes without landlines: 76% of adults and 87% of children.
So, when someone is bragging about having a landline today, you can bet money that they're reminiscing about a time when they owned it back in the day. There's also a certain nostalgia about being in a household where there was a landline. It was a symbol of reliability and the fact that you didn't have to depend on a smartphone and all of these other requirements just to make a simple phone call.
2. Collecting physical CDs or vinyl records
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For a lot of people from older generations, collecting music wasn't just about listening, but being able to own something physical that represented the art they loved. In the digital era that we live in, it can be a bit sad that we all depend on streaming platforms, like Netflix or Spotify, to consume art from people that we enjoy, rather than actually going out and buying that physical copy.
While older generations can cherish their physical music collection, vinyl records have definitely made a bit of a comeback for younger generations as well. Over a quarter of Gen Z vinyl fans buy records at least once a month, with eight in 10 (80%) owning a record player.
But for those born during a time when having physical CDs or vinyl records was considered normal and expected, they can't help but brag about being able to enjoy it when it was at its peak. They would save up their money, go to the store, and walk out with this album that felt like they'd hit the jackpot. Being able to brag about their music collection means it was proof that they invested in their favorite artist in some kind of tangible way.
3. Existing before the Internet
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When someone is constantly bragging about living a life before the internet, they're really reminiscing about living in a time when patience was still a thing. Nowadays, a lot of us are used to getting things at the snap of a finger, whether it's placing an order on Amazon and getting it delivered to your front door the very next day or being able to find and watch your favorite movie online in less than a minute.
"Researchers like Jonathan Haidt and Jean Twenge point to significant increases in suicidal ideation, anxiety, and depression that coincide with the advent of smartphones and social media around 2008," pointed out psychologist Sophie H. Janicke-Bowles.
So, for those born in a time when the internet wasn't as readily available as it is now meant having to do things a bit slower. It made people rely more on face-to-face conversations and on going to the library. That's why older generations can't help but miss the connections that they made back in their day without the internet at their fingertips.
4. Watching movies in a theater instead of streaming
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While a majority of Americans, 65%, have gone to see a movie at the theater at least once this year, an estimated 75% of adults have streamed a recently released movie in the past year instead of watching it in a theater. But for people in older generations, they may tend to brag about the fact that going to see a movie in the theater was the only way to interact with a film that they genuinely wanted to see.
Theater trips were able to create a sense of anticipation that you just don't get from scrolling on Netflix or Hulu. You were able to experience this piece of art in a room with dozens of other strangers who laughed, cried, or jumped in horror at what was being displayed on the screen. There's truly nothing that beats a movie-going experience, and older generations were able to have that experience without needing to depend on streaming services.
5. Sending handwritten letters
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For older generations, communication wasn't instant. In the same way that they feel nostalgic about living in a time when the internet wasn't a thing, it meant having to send handwritten letters to the people they wanted to stay in contact with. It was they sitting down with a pen and paper, having to choose their words carefully, and sealing it all up in an envelope. They would have to wait days just to receive a response, and to older adults, letters were more than just messages as well.
"Seeing an envelope addressed in a familiar hand can still make our hearts beat faster. That’s worth a first-class stamp. That’s worth a trip to the mailbox. The thrill of opening an envelope is too profound to renounce," insisted psychologist Gina Barreca.
They were keepsakes too. While the delay might've been annoying, the anticipation and excitement of receiving a letter in the mail made it all worth it. People from older generations brag about this because of the fact that it was proof they knew how to communicate in a way that helped nurture the connections they were making. Rather than being able to rely on iMessage and social media DMs, older individuals were used to the old-fashioned way of speaking to each other.
6. Using film cameras
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While shooting on film has made a bit of a comeback for younger generations, like Gen Z, older adults know exactly what it felt like to only have film cameras around to capture memories rather than a smartphone. Not only were older adults snapping photos with their cameras, but they were also having to go get them developed or just doing it themselves before they were finally able to see the results.
The entire process made it that much more exciting, and so older generations will often find themselves bragging about the fact that they relied on film cameras. They might even still have their photo book of all their old pictures somewhere in their houses that they'll pull out from time to time just to be able to have the physical proof of the memories they were making. Being able to flip through those photos beats scrolling through photos on your phone in this era.
7. Calling a business to place an order
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With companies like Uber Eats and DoorDash, having to order anything doesn't require you to speak to a human being at all. It's simply tapping away on your phone and then waiting around for it to be delivered to your front door. For older generations, though, having to actually call up a business to place an order was proof that they were able to get things done without having an app or website at their disposal.
If they were ordering pizza, they'd have to list off all of the toppings they wanted, confirm the price, and do all of that while speaking with someone on the other end of the line. While it was a small and very basic human interaction, people who grew up with it now find today's way of ordering food to be severely impersonal.
8. Using a map for directions
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Before we had GPS and Google Maps, older generations had to rely on good old-fashioned maps to get around. For them, it was about proving that they knew how to navigate and being able to find things on their own, which took a bit more skill than people nowadays are probably used to. The experience of using a map was an entire ordeal. For many, going on a trip meant having to plan out the entire map the night before or the morning of.
It was about knowing which highways to take, marking the exits, and knowing exactly the route that you needed to take. It might've been annoying for older generations at the time, but they look back on those moments fondly and will often brag about the sense of independence they felt while using an actual map, at least compared to generations now who can just depend on their phones to get them from point A to point B.
9. Waiting for TV shows to air
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Older generations weren't just able to binge an entire season of their favorite show in one single weekend, or press play on it throughout the day as they would like. Back then, they would have to park themselves in front of the TV every single week just to get a glimpse of their favorite characters. The anticipation was pretty much half of the fun when it came to watching shows they enjoyed. It was about spending all week wondering what would happen with the plot and talking about it eagerly with friends.
God forbid they missed an episode and weren't home to make sure it was recording. Back then, it was a shared cultural experience gathering around the TV screen just to watch a show, and for them, it's something they look back on fondly and routinely brag about to anyone who'll listen, especially when compared to the digital, streaming era that we're in now.
10. Using pagers
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Older adults having to navigate the use of pagers was an entirely different system in itself. The second they would get a beep with a phone number, they'd have to run to the nearest phone just to call that person back. The communication wasn't instant at all back in their day, making it an entirely different culture than what people are used to now.
If their pager went off, it meant that they were needed, and for a moment, they'd feel a bit important. There was also a cool factor when carrying a pager around or having it hooked on your belt. At the time, older generations knew that you were definitely someone if you had a pager on you.
11. Listening to the radio for music
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According to the Pew Research Center, the number of people who will routinely listen to the radio has dropped significantly over the last several years. Nowadays, people are mostly getting their music from various streaming platforms, like Apple Music or Spotify. But for older generations, if you wanted to hear the latest hits, it meant having to tune in at the right time and hope that it came on.
Listening to the radio was part of their experience growing up and even in their adulthood. It made listening to music a lot more fun and exciting, even if it was an entire process to do so. So, when they brag about it, it comes from a place of nostalgia and fond memories of sitting in the car or at home while their favorite station was on.
Nia Tipton is a staff writer with a bachelor's degree in creative writing and journalism who covers news and lifestyle topics that focus on psychology, relationships, and the human experience.
