People Born In The 1960s Don't Get Triggered By 11 Things That Younger Generations Can't Stand Today
MAYA LAB | Shutterstock In comparison to our hyper-selfish, sensitive, and convenience-oriented culture today, it’s not surprising that people born in the 1960s don’t get triggered by certain things that younger generations can’t stand today. Especially for kids who grew up with “gentle parents” who centered their emotions entirely, they’ve been taught to express all emotions in every scenario, sometimes at the expense of internal regulation and reflection.
From dealing with minor inconveniences that change someone’s plans to having conversations about emotional topics, older generations have the life skills of resilience and regulation to deal with discomfort in their lives without seeking attention or reassurance from anyone. They’ve grown up responsible for their own feelings and struggles, while young kids today look externally for distractions and dependence.
People born in the 1960s don’t get triggered by 11 things that younger generations can’t stand today
1. Awkward silence
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According to a study from Progress in Brain Research, silence often allows space for reflection and emotional regulation, whether it defines someone's time spent in their own company or in social interactions. The more silence people appreciate, the more grounded and regulated they are.
However, with the influence of constant stimulation, mindless entertainment, and cell phones in the modern world, young people aren’t comfortable with silence. They’re used to always having something to grasp their attention at all times.
But older generations who have practiced social interactions on their own and learned to manage discomfort from solitude, silence, and challenges don’t have this fear. They’re open to “awkward” silences and leaning into hard conversations that cultivate strong payoffs.
2. Conversations with differing opinions
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Especially considering many political and “controversial” conversation topics are inherently intertwined with a person’s identity and sense of self today, it’s not surprising that modern generations struggle to have conversations with people who have differing opinions. It’s not surface-level for them, but a huge part of their everyday lives.
Of course, especially with narratives about Gen Z “overreacting” and “taking things too seriously,” talking to someone with differing opinions is going to feel triggering. However, people raised in the 1960s are used to having hard conversations and managing their own discomfort. They’re not socialized into hiding behind screens and looking to parents for reassurance, so their level of toleration for hard social interactions is high.
3. Waiting and delayed gratification
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The art of waiting influences a child’s willpower, but delayed gratification is helpful for more than just self-control. It fosters emotional regulation skills, resilience, and a sense of internal comfort that younger generations today struggle to cultivate with constant access, comfort, and convenience.
They can look something up immediately, order things from the comfort of their phones, and get in contact with someone instantly without having to wait and regulate their own stress. People born in the 1960s don’t get triggered by these things because they’re comfortable waiting and sitting in boredom, even as adults.
4. Constructive criticism
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While constructive criticism and feedback are often difficult for anyone to receive, regardless of their age or generation, regulated, resilient people have more success in learning from their mistakes. For people born in the 1960s, when they were expected to lean into discomfort instead of running from it, being receptive to feedback came naturally.
It might not have been easy or comfortable, but it was a fact of life, especially without parents coddling their emotions and meeting their every need. However, many younger generations today, learning selfishness from screens and parenting styles, expect people to also protect their comfort. So, they perceive constructive criticism as a personal attack.
5. Unexpected phone calls
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While many older generations prefer phone calls over text messages and emails, and often believe they’re more respectful than these offline alternatives, young people are thrown off course by them. Especially when they’re unexpected, having to answer the phone without time to prepare or manage their social batteries first can feel destabilizing and intrusive.
Especially with the social anxiety that’s cultivated across their generation from overusing screens at impressionable ages, even phone calls behind a screen are starting to feel triggering.
6. Boredom
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While boredom is often incredibly important for people of all ages to make space for, many younger generations are falling into habits and routines centered around constant stimulation and attention. Whether it’s the temptation to doomscroll, the need for instant gratification and convenience, or a pressure to always be connected online, they tend to run from alone time and boredom without a distraction.
However, many older generations born in the 1960s and 1970s are used to being alone, solving their own problems, and filling their time without screens and online entertainment. They had to sit with their discomfort, manage their thoughts, and take care of their responsibilities without any kind of distraction from noise, screens, or other people.
7. Blunt honesty
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Many Gen Zers and younger generations who grew up with gentle parents had their emotions, discomfort, and needs constantly catered to. Now, as adults, they’re easily triggered by things like blunt honesty that don’t immediately cater to their sense of comfort or attention.
However, people born in the 1960s don’t get triggered by sarcasm or blunt honesty because they’ve learned to look inward for reassurance. They’re used to “tough love” and a sense of self-reliance that protects them from looking for external comfort when they’re feeling uncertain or uncomfortable.
8. Pressure to overwork in their job
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Many baby boomers and Gen Xers feel a sense of loyalty to their employers, even when they’re being overworked and underpaid. They’ve grown up in a culture where hard work and tolerating discomfort were inevitable, so they had no choice but to cultivate resilience and lean in.
However, many younger generations are creating firm boundaries around work-life balance that put their needs, feelings, and personal boundaries first. They’re easily triggered by having too much on their plates, not being heard by a boss, or being expected to come into an in-person office with a job that’s perfectly suitable for remote work. They don’t lean into “hustle culture” in the same way that older generations do, for better and for worse.
9. Research without screens or AI
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Constant screen time and stimulation, especially for younger generations today, is making people meaner and more aggressive while living their everyday lives, according to a study from the International Journal of Preventive Medicine. Even the most minor inconveniences, like researching with a book and not having access to a phone to look up an answer, feel like a personal attack and bring up all kinds of frustration.
However, this kind of analog research and problem-solving is second nature to people born in the 1960s without phones and Google. They had no choice but to learn this skill, which is why they’re not triggered by a lack of power or WiFi often.
10. Navigation without GPS
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Many younger generations are completely reliant on their phones in almost every aspect of their daily lives, even driving to work or to a grocery store that they’ve been to a million times. With a GPS and navigation system right in their phones, the “better safe than sorry” approach to plugging in an address has removed the need for young people to remember directions or follow a physical map.
However, when there’s no service or their phones die, this experience isn’t just triggering to some extent. It’s a complete disaster. They can’t get where they need to go, and sometimes asking for help brings up all kinds of social anxiety they could avoid from behind a screen.
But for people born in the 1960s who have spent most of their lives without phones and instant access to the internet, it’s second nature to rely on memory, paper maps, and directions from people on the street.
11. A lack of open communication around mental health
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While many older generations of people, especially those raised in the 1960s, are used to independently coping with feelings, suppressing emotions, and avoiding conversations about mental health, younger generations demand this kind of openness. At the very least, they expect their employers to accept “mental health days” or to see their humanity before expecting them to be productive.
They live their lives in a culture that’s growing more open around mental health and expressing emotions, which is why they’re often “put off” by people who don’t make space for these feelings. It’s a delicate balance between expecting people to drop everything to support your feelings and being able to have intelligent, supportive, and vulnerable conversations.
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.
