The low waist in the wardrobe, series set in the 1980s, vinyl record collections and grandmother’s hobbies have returned with a vengeance – thanks to Generation Z nostalgia.
Those born between the late 1990s and the late 2000s are part of the most nostalgic generation among all, with 15% declaring that they prefer to think about the past instead of the future, according to one . Millennials, born between the 1980s and mid-1990s, are not far behind, at 14%. As age increases, the level of generational nostalgia decreases.
This is not necessarily a bad thing, nostalgia can offer
“The big problem is that you want to live your life through nostalgic utensils”, said the psychologist Alexander Bez. “They can satisfy your curiosity, they can even offer more comfortable elements to deal with life, but knowing how much time and space you occupy is fundamental.”
But why are young people so interested in reliving a past they never even witnessed? The explanation may lie less in what existed in previous decades and more in what did not yet exist: the ubiquitous technology.
Put your cell phone aside and occupy your hands
Recovering hobbies and interests from past decades is also related to a trying to spend less time on social media on your smartphonea phenomenon that has grown among those who already feel the effects of hyperexposure to screens.
“The addiction [em tecnologia] stimulates the production of dopamine, which makes us anxious, distressed, and accelerated. Analog activities, on the contrary, bring connection, presence, calm. It’s as if we were intuitively looking for ways to self-regulate emotionally, to reconnect with our own body”, explained the neuroscientist and specialist in child development Telma Abrahão.
Younger generations have not known – or known little – life without a minicomputer in their pocket. And as more and more research associates the excessive use of social networks with , resuming hobbies that don’t involve cell phones can be beneficial for those who have never been used to it.
There are many options: crosswords, film photography, coloring books, among hundreds of other possibilities to occupy your time without a screen at hand.
Good for the brain
The São Paulo native Paola Papiniaged 25, finds manual activities a way to recharge herself. A fan of crochet, the habit of making homemade bread and a student on a carpentry course, these are the things that help her feel less anxious and more present.
“It’s about spending less time on the internet in general. Working all day on the computer, using my cell phone or watching series, it just left me drained and gave me a headache,” she explained. “I feel like it drains all my mental capacity, and doing something with my hands is the way to recharge.”
The neuroscientist agrees: “All of this will, in fact, make us much less accelerated.”
“This offers our brain something that has been lost in this digital age, which is the ability to engage with focus, with depth in a single task. And this brings pleasure to the experience, unlike when you are on your cell phone jumping from one video to another”, concluded Abrahão.
