More than half of men think music from their youth is better than today’s music – but only 41% of women think the same
- About 31 percent of men also prefer TV and movies from earlier eras
- 46 percent of men rate public figures of the past higher than those of today
If you’ve recently searched YouTube for David Bowie’s glory days, or classic TV shows like The Sweeney, you’re probably a man who longs for the past.
Men are much more nostalgic than women, miss their younger years more and have a strong belief that “things aren’t what they used to be,” a study found.
Researchers found that 51 percent of men across all generations view music from their childhood as better than today’s music, compared to just 41 percent of women.
About 31 percent of men also prefer TV and movies from the past, compared to 22 percent of women, while 46 percent of men rate public figures of the past – from politicians to celebrities – higher than those of today, compared to 44 percent of women.
Krystine Batcho, a psychology professor at Le Moyne College in New York and an expert on nostalgia, said: “Nostalgia can reflect dissatisfaction with the present, and men have often viewed cultural change less favorably than women.
Men are much more nostalgic than women, miss their younger years more and have a strong belief that “things aren’t what they used to be,” a study finds
If you’ve recently searched YouTube for David Bowie’s glory days, or classic TV shows like The Sweeney, you’re probably a man who longs for the past
“Many men also feel insecure about what is socially acceptable today, while women are more likely to feel that cultural changes have given them more opportunities to succeed and have more control over their lives.”
The survey, which involved 2,000 Britons, also asked whether life has been better or worse over the past decade than in the 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, 1990s, 2000s and 2010s.
Remarkably, the 1980s—the decade of Spandau Ballet, Wham!, Miami Vice, Fame, and The A-Team—turned out to be at the top of the nostalgia class, with 26 percent of men preferring it to today, compared to 25 percent of the women. .
Only 18 percent of men and 15 percent of women preferred the 1960s, while 15 percent of men and 14 percent of women preferred the 1970s, the decade of glam rock, disco and classic police drama The Sweeney.
The 1990s – the decade of Britpop and hip-hop, Friends, The X-Files and ER – are the only decade more popular with women (22 percent) than men (17 percent).
Only 11 percent of both sexes lament the late 1990s, while six percent of men and only five percent of women wish they were back in the 2010s.
Schweppes’ Marina Nastyushenko, who commissioned the study, said: “We know that Britons are nostalgic for everything from clubbing to movies, and it’s interesting to see that men are more nostalgic than women.”