Why Nostalgia Hits Harder For Millennials

Picture this: it’s summer of ‘98 and you settle on the couch with a pack of Fruit Gushers and a Kool-Aid burst. As you flip through the channels, you stop when you hear a familiar tune: “Whatever happened to predictability? The milk man, the paperboy, the evening TV?”

If you’re a Millennial, you can most likely relate to the nostalgic feelings that come with reflecting on the ‘90s and rewatching comfort shows such as Full House (and if you can’t, then in the words of Stephanie Tanner: “How rude!”).  But have you ever wondered why nostalgia hits hard when you’re a Millennial, perhaps more than for other generations? From the rapid change of technology and cultural shifts, to a generation that’s surviving not thriving when it comes to burnout, let’s explore the reasons why Millennials turn to nostalgia and find comfort in reflecting on the past. 

Curious if you align with Millennial values? Check out our True Generations Test to see what generation you belong in. 

Why Millennials Find Comfort In Nostalgia 

Psychology Today defines nostalgia as: “sentimentality for the past, typically for a period or place with positive associations, but sometimes also for the past in general, ‘the good old days of yore’.” It’s a natural and often positive emotion. Reminiscing about the past and revisiting memories can have a beneficial emotional effect, especially when you’re feeling sad, overwhelmed or disconnected. 

So how does this relate to Millennials? For a quick refresh, Millennials are the generation born between 1981 and 1996. We’re known for our optimism, sensitivity and civic engagement, and our generation is shaped by the big geopolitical events we lived through, such as the aftermath of 9/11, the Great Recession and the rapid rise of technology and social media. While we were promised we could be anything with a college degree, many of us stepped into adulthood struggling to find jobs, making it harder to afford the cost of living. 

Millennials are drawn to nostalgia because it’s a way for us to connect emotionally to simpler times and who we were before burnout, anxiety and constant stress. Of course, other generations, such as Gen X (those born between 1965-1980) lived through the same events. But many of them were adults with established careers and support systems, whereas Millennials were still coming of age. Gen X were also the original “latch-key kids,” so nostalgia for them is typically less about emotional comfort and more about reflecting on the freedom that once shaped their childhood when they were first navigating life on their own. Millennials are more likely to seek nostalgia as a way to find reassurance in a world that often feels uncertain, so it hits entirely differently for us. 

Although Millennials are criticized for living in the past, we experienced a lot of change in a short amount of time. Finding comfort in nostalgia and ‘90s TV shows is a way for us to reconnect with our innocence and find familiarity in a world that keeps evolving. 

The rapid change of technology makes us crave simpler times

We’re the generation that saw it all: between VHS tapes, landlines, dial-up internet, flip phones (ahh, the good times when you told your friends to call back after 9 p.m. because you ran out of minutes), to now having wireless internet and social media at our fingertips. 

Millennials are referred to as “digital natives” because we grew up alongside technology, the first generation to have technology evolve right alongside us. Gen X had a childhood free of digital distractions, while Gen Z (born between 1997-2012) never knew what life was like without the internet or cellphones. Sandwiched in the middle, Millennials lived in both worlds, which is what makes our connection to nostalgia unique. We still remember playing outside until dark, but we also memorized phone numbers, burned CDs and even coded our own Myspace layouts.

Nostalgic classics including feel-good shows, music or pop culture help us slow down and reconnect with who we once were before technology took over. They bring us back to a time when life felt slower and more manageable, giving us comfort and stability in a world that prioritizes algorithms and endless to-do lists.

While we might not know what the future holds (anyone else convinced we’d have flying cars by now thanks to The Jetsons?), we know that we can always turn to nostalgia for comfort, simplicity and even a good laugh.

It gives us a temporary relief from burnout

Between trying to find the right work/life balance, adapting to the rising costs of living and chasing the hustle culture, Millennials are stressed and running on empty (and don’t even get us started on student loan payments). It may not come as a surprise that we’re known as “the burnout generation.” In fact, 66 percent of Millennials reported high levels of burnout, passing Gen Z at 56 percent.

So how do we take a break from the never-ending stress and the pressure to “do more” in our generation, even if it’s temporary relief? You got it, we turn to nostalgia and rewatch our familiar TV shows to get the emotional comfort we need. Turning on an episode of Boy Meets World, watching Cory and Shawn get lectured by Mr. Feeny for goofing off in class, can be the laugh we needed to temporarily disconnect from overwhelm. It takes us back to a time when our biggest stress was finishing our homework on time, or trying to get away with passing notes in class without getting caught. 

Whether it’s binge-watching classic reruns or singing along to the Backstreet Boys’ song “I Want It That Way,” escaping to the past is our own form of self-care. Listening to a throwback song or watching a 22-minute comfort show can make us feel a little less weighed down by the stresses of daily life, and that’s its own type of rest and relaxation.

Nostalgia reminds us of who we used to be

Do you ever wonder who you were before the world told you who to be? Alright, take a moment to grab some tissues because now we’re getting deep.

Research by psychology professor Dr. Krystine Batcho says that nostalgia helps remind us of who we were and who we are today. It can also bring back feelings and memories of when we were loved and accepted, and diving into the past is often a healthy coping mechanism. 

While nostalgia can help regulate how we feel and reduce anxiety, it can also help us reconnect with the parts of ourselves that we might have lost touch with. For many of us, shows from the ‘90s were the first time we saw unbreakable bonds form in friendship and family, and learned hard life lessons we didn’t even know we needed.

When writer Elizabeth Entenamn was asked why she loves Friends so much and keeps coming back to the same show after all these years, she said: “The short answer is not surprisingly, the nostalgia factor: I re-watch Friends over and over because it takes me back to the ‘90s. The longer answer involves growing up, feeling comforted and experiencing a deep sense of belonging.” She also mentions how Friends always made her feel calm, cheered her up on bad days and even helped her through breakups. 

Nostalgia and feel-good shows from the ‘90s connect with Millennials on a deeper level because they bring us back to a less tired, more optimistic version of who we were, the ones before the constant work grind and endless distractions on our phones. Whether it’s a heartfelt dad speech from Danny Tanner, or imagining what our friend group would look like in our 20s, these moments remind us of a time when anything felt possible. They give us a temporary escape, reconnecting us with who we used to be, especially when life feels overwhelming and hard to keep up with.

Takeaway

While we can’t rewind the clock or transport back in time (not yet, anyway), turning to nostalgia and rewatching ‘90s shows helps Millennials reconnect with who we are and who we used to be. It’s a way to find comfort and stability in a world that never slows down. So next time you’re feeling drained, grab a Fruit Roll-Up and stream an episode that never fails to make you laugh. A personal favorite is the one in Full House when Uncle Jesse mixed up his twins, and Kimmy Gibbler roasted him with, “Even baboons know their own babies!”.