"I started reading comic books again, catching up on the Ninja Turtles and Batman after a 25-year hiatus. I even went back to regularly watching pro-wrestling. Were these as fun and magical as when I was young? No, probably not. Then, why bother? Maybe boredom. Maybe I was curious to see what they were like now. Maybe because they remind me of a time when I felt safe, and there was more certainty in the world - useful feelings to have during COVID-19."
"COVID-19 is now just a memory; yet, many people kept up similar hobbies; retro-this and retro-that are booming. 'Videogames were better back in the day' and 'Isn't it a shame that today's kids will never know the joy of a Saturday morning cartoon line-up?' Yes, decline bias is real. I remember my friends and I making fun of the grumpy older generations, talking about how 'everything was better back in their day.'"
During COVID-19 lockdowns many adults returned to hobbies and interests from childhood as usual adult leisure options were curtailed. People binged shows, exercised, and tackled projects, then revisited comic books, retro videogames, and nostalgic TV to fill time and seek comfort. Revisiting familiar childhood media offered curiosity, boredom relief, and feelings of safety and certainty during uncertainty, producing subtle therapeutic effects. Many continued those hobbies after lockdowns, contributing to a broader retro boom. Decline bias fuels the belief that past entertainment was better, and older-generation nostalgia patterns are reappearing across younger generations.
Read at Psychology Today
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