Gen Z is feeling nostalgic. Experts say it might be a good thing

SALT LAKE CITY — An old song playing on the radio.

The revival of a fashion trend from 30 years ago.

The smell of a home-cooked meal.

Each of these could lead to the same thought: "Ahh, that's nostalgic."

And among Gen Z, many are feeling nostalgic for eras in which they weren't even alive.

In a recent national survey, 68% of Gen Z respondents reported feeling nostalgic for eras before their lifetime, while 73% said they were drawn to styles, media and hobbies from earlier periods.

Clay Routledge, a leading expert in existential psychology and vice president of research at the Archbridge Institute, referred to this phenomenon as "historical nostalgia."

"Historical nostalgia, which Gen Z seems to really be experiencing a lot of, is this sense of longing for a time that predates them," Routledge said. "You're seeing a lot of young people in their 20s say that they're nostalgic for the '90s, and they either weren't alive or don't remember it."

In addition to historical nostalgia, Routledge identified "traditional" or "personal" nostalgia, which is "a sentimental or wistful longing" for one's own past, he explained.

"To me, nostalgia can be thought of really as a combination of emotion and cognition," Routledge said. "It's that feeling we have for the past, the sentimental feeling for the past, combined with what we're making contact with, which are memories, special memories, cherished memories."

Understanding more fully what nostalgia is, Routledge said, provides "a more complete picture of the nostalgic experience and what it does for us," and "allows us to think of more intentional ways to use it."

Studies show nostalgia 'inspires' social connection

Routledge has researched nostalgia for more than two decades, and in his view, there are two main reasons for the growing sense of nostalgia: "control and community."

In the digital world, there is a growing sense that devices are "controlling us, we're not controlling them," Routledge said, which leaves people feeling they have "a lack of agency or lack of control."

By reviving aspects of a pre-digital world, many are "trying to restore a sense of control," Routledge said.

Additionally, in a world of increasing loneliness, many are reviving older habits to create a sense of community.

"In nostalgia, the mind is peopled," Routledge said. "When people bring to mind or they reflect on nostalgic memory, not only does it remind them of the people in their lives that care about them and that have supported them, it makes them want to connect with people," Routledge said.

In his decades of research, Routledge has collected tens of thousands of nostalgic memories from people all over the world. Across cultures, continents, religion, political beliefs and life experiences, most nostalgic memories had something in common: "The vast majority of them are about cherished memories with loved ones."

Studies have shown that by promoting reflection and appreciation for meaningful relationships, nostalgia can help maintain intimacy and connectedness in relationships.

"It doesn't just serve as a reminder of connection, it inspires connection," Routledge said.

'There's lots of ways that we can inject little elements of nostalgia into our lives to give ourselves that kind of boost'

In addition to its social consequences, nostalgia fosters a sense of optimism and hope, especially in the face of adversity.

"When you feel sad or lonely or anxious about the future or rejected or just, you know, just down in some way, dissatisfied, your brain naturally starts bringing up old memories that offer a way to help you solve that problem," Routledge said. "If you are going through a difficult time, there's all sorts of ways in which you can be like, 'Well, what kind of memories can I draw from right now?'"

For someone that just moved to a new city, he explained, they could think, "'Maybe I'm lonely, but look, I've had these experiences in the past where I've had people that care about me. I could do that again.'" Or, someone who feels intimidated starting a new job can think back to past accomplishments to bolster their self-confidence.

According to one of Routledge's studies, nearly 60% of Americans believe that nostalgic memories offer guidance when they are not sure what direction to take in life, and most Americans agree that nostalgic memories serve as a source of comfort when life is uncertain or difficult.

"There's lots of ways that we can inject little elements of nostalgia into our lives to give ourselves that kind of boost, especially when we're going through uncertain or difficult times," Routledge said.

Nostalgia is 'a future-oriented' emotion

Because nostalgia involves reflection on past experiences and emotions, it is often associated with looking back. However, Routledge said that after decades of research, he has come to think of nostalgia as "a future-oriented experience."

"The reason we're doing this isn't because we somehow think we have a time machine and we can magically go backwards in time. We have to keep moving forward," he said. "And so I really think nostalgia is part of that toolkit, the psychological resource that we have to think about and plan for the future."

Routledge said nostalgia "helps us focus on what we find important in life."

"The future is unknown. We have a million decisions and choices we have to make. And what nostalgic memories do is they help keep in mind what we want to prioritize," Routledge said. "Nostalgia might involve looking backwards, but it's really about planning forward."

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