It’s All in the Past

About two years ago, my friends and I attended a “One Direction night” hosted by a traveling events company called Club ’90s. We all wore our Tumblr best — red skinny jeans, striped T-shirts, sheer tights — and danced the night away to the soundtrack of our high school years. For one night, we were teenagers again, only now we didn’t have pesky curfews to abide by.

It was so much fun. I remember thinking, “How could life get any better than this?”

Nostalgia is a powerful feeling and an even more powerful marketing tool, especially for millennials and Gen Z. One Direction night proved that. But why? What makes the younger generations so nostalgic?

There are many theories, one being the “digital native factor.” Many millennials grew up with technology but still remember a time before smartphones, laptops and social media. This “dual experience,” as digital marketing manager Rheace Jones called it, makes millennials particularly susceptible to feelings of nostalgia. But other studies show it’s much deeper than that.

In a blog post for Nottingham Trent University, senior lecturer Yvonne Richardson said, “Gen Z has grown up in the backdrop of social upheaval, climate change and global health crisis.” As a result, many Gen Zers struggle with high levels of anxiety and pessimism.

Millennials, for their part, carry unprecedented amounts of debt — nearly $4 trillion as of the end of 2022 — thanks in part to “skyrocketing” student loan debt and the “rapidly increasing” cost of living, Newsweek reported.

Given all this, it’s no wonder these groups engage with nostalgia whenever possible — it’s a powerful antidote to life’s ills.

“Empirical research has shown the power of nostalgia in invoking strong feelings of security and comfort,” Richardson wrote. “So, nostalgia can help in times of uncertainty — a time machine to whisk them away from the pressures they are currently facing.”

Nostalgia certainly helps me cope with stress. What I loved most about that One Direction night was that it allowed a brief escape from the woes of adulthood. No one there wanted to talk about work or the economy. Instead, they wanted to debate the band’s cutest member (Harry Styles) and best album (Four).

And isn’t it nice to revisit your past every now and then? Artist Nikki Ackerman thinks so. Nostalgia is a big part of her work. Her paintings of FSU’s landmarks help fellow alums recall the good old days of game weekends and early morning strolls through campus.

But nostalgia isn’t just about revisiting your past. Sometimes, it’s just about visiting the past. Why do you think low-rise jeans have become so popular among Gen Z? While the millennials who experienced the trend in the early aughts aren’t thrilled by its return, teenagers love it. Perhaps because it transports them to a time before social media and global pandemics. A time that, at least in their minds, was better than today.

While nostalgia allows us to travel to the past, it can also help us reimagine a new future. A 2015 study by ​​Wijnand van Tilburg, Constantine Sedikides and Tim Wildschut showed that nostalgia contributes to increased creativity and, Richards wrote, “invites us to think differently and make surprising new connections.”

“It makes you more open,” said Wildschut. “It’s a springboard from which to explore the world.”

So, nostalgia is a comfort blanket and a source of inspiration. I guess this means I’ll have to join my peers at another One Direction night. Maybe there, we can finally determine the steps to achieving world peace.

Sara Santora, Editor
ssantora@rowlandpublishing.com