Nostalgia has a way of bringing us back to the moments we cherish most, and for many of us, the 90s hold a special place. The decade of baggy jeans, Furbies, and PlayStation 1—something about it was uniquely fun and lighthearted, a feeling that seems hard to replicate today.
Although we can’t rewind the clock, we can at the very least reconnect with those simpler days through the internet. There’s a Facebook group called ‘Nostalgia: 90s Kids Only’, which, as the name suggests, is dedicated to sharing relatable memes about this iconic time. So if you’re a 90s kid, get ready to take a trip down memory lane. And if you aren’t, stick around because this is your chance to see just why this era was so loved.
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“This was hands down the best time to be a kid in the history of ever,” comments one of the Facebook group’s 148K members in response to a post featuring a 90s television program.
This many people gather online to reminisce about the past for a good reason. Psychology professor and researcher Krystine Batcho from LeMoyne College explains for National Geographic that while nostalgia is often seen as a private reflection, it actually helps us connect with one another by reminding us of our earlier relationships. This emotional connection encourages us to seek support from others. Nostalgia is particularly linked to childhood memories because, as Batcho points out, “In childhood, we were loved simply for who we were.”
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Some may perceive nostalgia as melancholic or bittersweet, but research shows that for most people, it’s a positive emotion that evokes warmth, fondness, and a sense of belonging. Many things can trigger nostalgia, like places or smells, but movies, music, and photos are especially meaningful.
“Familiar media from our past brings us emotional comfort, but it also meets a cognitive need: it encourages the belief that things will get better because they’ve been good before,” says Batcho.
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There is an explanation for why often remember things in a positive light and romanticize our experiences through nostalgia. “Remembering things as better than they were serves an evolutionary purpose. If people were to remember things faithfully to the original, most women would never want to have more than one child,” Batcho notes humorously. “It’s a function of species survival that we can gloss over the bad portions of the past.”
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So, what else does nostalgia do to our bodies and brains? As it turns out, quite a lot. It boosts our sense of well-being, inspires creativity, and makes us feel more youthful, alert, optimistic, and energetic. Nostalgia can even encourage us to take risks and pursue our goals. Additionally, it reduces our perception of pain and enhances our ability to detect threats.
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Moreover, it appears that people are increasingly nostalgic now compared to before, according to GWI Zeitgeist. Gen Z is the most nostalgic generation, with 15% preferring to think about the past rather than the future. Millennials closely follow at 14%, with this trend gradually decreasing with age.
Both Gen Z and millennials are also driving nostalgia in the media. Half of Gen Z feels nostalgic for various types of media, closely followed by 47% of millennials.
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Nostalgia doesn’t always have to be related to personal memories. Amid recent challenges like recovering from the COVID pandemic, navigating a cost-of-living crisis, and struggling to find jobs, younger generations are seeking comfort in a time before the internet and social media. Surprisingly, nearly 40% of Gen Z feels nostalgic for the 90s, even though most were born after 2000.
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So, the 90s are definitely trending, but it’s not just because of Gen Z. Patrick Metzger explains that pop culture follows a 30-year cycle, which he calls the ‘Nostalgia Pendulum’. After analyzing 500 movies, he found that it usually takes around three decades for a remake to appear. For example, Ghostbusters originally came out in 1984 and was remade in 2016—a span of 32 years. Jurassic Park debuted in 1993, with Jurassic World following in 2015, 22 years later.
“The driving factor seems to be that it takes about 30 years for a critical mass of people who were consumers of culture when they were young to become the creators of culture in their adulthood,” Metzger writes on his blog. So, those born in the 90s are now in their mid-20s to early 30s and are inspired to create content similar to when they were growing up.
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At the same time, Metzger highlights that on top of creators genuinely referencing their childhood, companies and advertisers recognize nostalgia as a powerful marketing tool. They consciously use the ‘Nostalgia Pendulum’ to build emotional connections with their intended audiences and are able to make bigger profits because of it.
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Currently, many businesses can be seen trying to monetize 90s nostalgia. Last year, Pepsi rebranded its logo, drawing inspiration from its 90s look. Interestingly, PepsiCo’s chief design officer, Mauro Porcini, told CNN that when people are asked to draw the logo from memory, they often recreate the version used from 1987 to 1997. The famous toy Furby, first released in 1998, also made a comeback last year for its 25th anniversary. Apparel brands like Birkenstock and Juicy Couture, which gained momentum in the 90s, are having a resurgence in popularity right now.
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However, the 30-year nostalgic window may be shortening. BBC correspondent Leah Carroll recently coined the term ‘Nowstalgia’, describing how people and culture are moving so fast that we start to miss things as soon as they’re no longer available or possible to do.
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So whether you’re nostalgic about the 90s, something that happened last year, or even just a few weeks ago, we hope you take the time to reflect on these memories and use them in a positive way. Nostalgia can be a powerful tool for connecting with our past and inspiring our future.
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