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Rob Sheffield, a veteran rock and pop culture critic and staff writer for Rolling Stone magazine, wrote in his memoirs that nothing brings to life the times you lived through and the people you shared those times with like an old mixtape. Maybe to some. But I will argue that photos can do just the same.
There's a subreddit dedicated exclusively to nostalgia with over 853,000 members. There, people share photos, reminiscing about the past, and they hit right in the feels as much as a mixtape should. From the torture device known as the "Sit and Reach" test to "the pipes" screensaver we all were watching for entertainment at one point in our lives, it has it all.
"Whether it's an old commercial or a book from your past, it belongs in /r/Nostalgia," the mods said about their subreddit, adding that the content can be both humorous and sad. So grab your rotary phone and invite your friend over — this is going to be a wild ride.
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#1
Remember Watching The Pipes Screensaver?
Experts say that small literature on the psychology of nostalgia has developed over the past decade. Mostly, research shows that people engage in nostalgic reverie when they're feeling down in an attempt to boost their mood and self-confidence.
Experimental evidence indicates that we experience nostalgia as an overwhelmingly positive emotion. In fact, it can not only boost our mood but increase a sense of meaning in life as well. Indulging in nostalgia also raises self-esteem and optimism for the future.
However, the University of Southern California psychologist David Newman and colleagues argue that these findings have more to do with the experimental setup than to the true nature of nostalgia.
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#2
Who Remembers This [ice Cream] From School?
![Who Remembers This [ice Cream] From School?](https://static.boredpanda.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/nostalgia-things-pictures-11-5f85782dac434__700.jpg "Who Remembers This [ice Cream] From School?")
von Funnyname 4 years ago
Dude, splinters of not... this is the BEST vanilla ice cream on the planet. I feel like it's incomplete when I find the same taste and I don't have the paddle-spoon.
Their study produced two very interesting outcomes. The first was that people felt more nostalgic when they were with family and friends or when they were eating than they did when they were at work or school.
One explanation could be that family, friends, and food all serve as what psychologists call "retrieval cues." They trigger memories. People can use retrieval cues intentionally, for example, post a to-do list on the refrigerator door. But they emerge unintentionally too, as for instance when a whiff of apple pie aroma reminds someone of their grandmother because she baked them all the time.
#3
Only Fidget Spinner I Ever Owned
The second key finding was that people experienced nostalgia more when they were feeling depressed than when they were happy. At first glance, this result appears to contradict the outcomes of induced nostalgia in the laboratory, where remembering happy events from the past resulted in a boost in mood.
However, some argue that the study by Newman and colleagues was correlational in nature. Participants were not divided into separate conditions and treated differently. Rather, at each measurement, each respondent reported on their current mood and whether or not they felt nostalgic. And what the researchers found was that nostalgia and low mood co-occur.
It could mean that nostalgia leads to negative emotions. But it could also be that people engage in nostalgia when they’re feeling down.
#4
These TV Carts Always Meant Class Was Going To Be Fun When The Teacher Rolled One In
Lauren Caswell 4 years ago
We studied the handmaids tale book in English at high school (this was before the tv series with Elizabeth moss) and the teacher wheeled in one of these so we could watch an older movie version. It had a sex scene, the teacher panicked and hit ffwd....but this was one if those vcrs where if you ffwd, the movie plays really fast (ie the people were...ahem...with great speed!) Teacher stood in front of tv and said don't look omg we were laughing so hard! )
#5
Overhead Projector
#6
This Eraser
#7
Flipping Through These As A Kid Trying To Find Your Favourite Bands Poster
#8
Burning The Sickest Cds In The Neighborhood
François Carré 4 years ago
I have some old-fashioned people around me, and still get to burn CDs for them from time to time. I must say it's really satisfying when you eject it from the computer, freshly burnt, and play it on a good old Hi-Fi for the first time. Screw those new generation laptops that don't even have a CD player.
#9
See-Through Electronics
#10
The Ge Alarm Clock That Everyone Seemed To Have
Olivier Caissy 4 years ago
Still do, a model with a cassette reader to wake up to my favorite band.
#11
Eye Witness Books. The Best Part Of The Scholastic Book Fair
#12
Pencils With Cartridges
#13
Remember When You Didn’t Have To Enter Your Personal Info Online To Win A Soda?
WilvanderHeijden 4 years ago
Today the companies just buy all your personal info directly from Mark Zuckerberg. He knows more about you than your parents do.
#14
The Old Cartoon Network
Lauren Caswell 4 years ago
Ed edd and Eddie, courage....oh this was a great time for cartoon network. I want to live in this entire thread, everything here is my nostalgia zone
#15
Turning Markers Into Swords
#16
Wrapping Your Textbook In The 90s
#17
The Family Computer
#18
Actor Jonathan Hyde, A Staple Of Fun 90s Movies (Pictured: Richie Rich, Jumanji, Titanic, And The Mummy)
#19
Removing The Faceplate Of Your Car Stereo So It Wouldn’t Get Stolen
#20
These Old School Pencil Sharpeners
#21
This Movie Theater Carpeting
Steve Barnett 4 years ago
There is an insidious logic behind this. It's also to do with Casinos. To give you respite from playing Casino games your response is to look elsewhere, i.e. the floor. But because of the design, you can't relax looking at it, therefore you continue spending money on slots, blackjack etc.
#22
The Motorola Razr. Still The Coolest Cell Phone To Be Produced
Lauren Caswell 4 years ago (edited)
Nokia blue though! We all went mad for it because....the backlight was blue! Not green! Simple times :) still have mine, it still works but is so old it can't be connected to any network where I live (also, as the above phone is a Motorola - Hello Moto!)
#23
Removing The Ball From Your Computer Mouse
#24
Mom Giving You A $20 Bill For The Scholastic Book Fair. I Would Feel Like Such A Boss With My Mint Condition Animorphs, Goosebumps, And Various Bookmarks
Rabbit Carrot 4 years ago
My sons school still has book fairs. He’s got one coming up next week.
#25
School Cafeteria Pizza
#26
Rear Door Ashtrays; Playing With These As A Kid On Car Rides
#27
Who Remembers ... The Grade Book ?
#28
Space Cadet Was My Childhood
Lauren Caswell 4 years ago
My kid (10) plays this on the old desktop! He challenged me a while back, I tried but couldn't resist pulling out all the stops (Wait, mum, how did you change the colour of the bumpers? What is refuelling?) Young padiwan has much to learn ^-^
#29
The Perfect 2000's PC!
Steve Barnett 4 years ago
'THIS COMPUTER IS NEVER OBSOLETE'. Seriously, where do I start. Okay, 566 MHz processor? Rocks think faster than that.
#30
90's TV Cabinet. I Remember Needing To Push On The Glass Doors To Open Them
#31
Flipping Your Chair On To Your Desk At The End Of The Day.
#32
This Velcro Toss And Catch Game
Donna Gettings Apperson 4 years ago
Hahaha. I have that in the hall closet. We took it to the beach every year.
Thomas Turnbull 4 years ago
Just bought this in August this year while on Holiday in Scarborough (UK) it was £3
Brandi Chafins 4 years ago
i remember when my dad bought this for us to play with. I was about 4yrs old. First pitch went straight between his legs & we never played again! lol
#33
Those Red Pebbled Cups From The Pizza Joint With The Arcade When You Were A Kid
#34
Wooden Playgrounds
Ray Ceeya (RayCeeYa) 4 years ago
Back when I was a kid everything was made of steel and concrete.
#35
Who Remembers Having To Switch The Tape To Watch The Rest Of Titanic?
Andrew Gibb 4 years ago
the tape was stretched at the part Jack is painting Rose as one of his French ladies
#36
Coming Soon To Own On Dvd & Video, *a Loud Mans Voice That Shakes The Walls*
#37
Anyone Else Remember The Weird, Course Texture These Bouncy Balls Had?
Lauren Caswell 4 years ago
Up until I saw this, no, but omg yes! And when they got damaged they had little crumbly bits that came off, like some kind of rubber polystyrene
#38
Did Anyone Else Have A Stage In The Cafeteria Of Their School?
#39
These Battered Library Stools
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What do you think ?
IlovemydogShilo 4 years ago
Brilliant. Apart from the fact I feel about 90 years old now, it feels good to see these things again.
Kristin Ingersoll 4 years ago
I'm Gen X and a lot of these were from MY childhood - a lot from the 80s. I think the title's dumb. I clicked in it because the photo they showed up front was the mechanical pencil thingie and I definitely had that in elementary school (ie, the 70s!). I don't really think this list is millennial memories. Just... memories :)
Azziza 4 years ago
I'm early gen-x and we had most of this stuff in the 70s as well.
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Kenny Kulbiski 4 years ago
Go back a little further. Slide rules. It's hard to project a mad scientist vibe with smart phone or calculator.
Diane Aguilar 4 years ago
For a brief moment I thought Rob Sheffield had posted something onto Bored Panda and I was going to send him a private message asking him when he had decided to start contributing to this site, LOL. As for now I'll let him know he was the inspiration for a BP post.
AzKhaleesi 4 years ago
I have literally had or used everything on this list. Ahhh good times. I wish those days would come back.
A Random Panda 4 years ago
I feel old. I know like, 80/100 of these and I'm not even a teenager yet.
Reagan Maher 4 years ago
Same! We both grew up with most of these even though it really wasn't that long ago.
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FurryManiac 4 years ago
I grew up in the early 2000’s and I’ve seen most of these- this isn’t that old.
IlovemydogShilo 4 years ago
Brilliant. Apart from the fact I feel about 90 years old now, it feels good to see these things again.
Kristin Ingersoll 4 years ago
I'm Gen X and a lot of these were from MY childhood - a lot from the 80s. I think the title's dumb. I clicked in it because the photo they showed up front was the mechanical pencil thingie and I definitely had that in elementary school (ie, the 70s!). I don't really think this list is millennial memories. Just... memories :)
Azziza 4 years ago
I'm early gen-x and we had most of this stuff in the 70s as well.
Load More Replies... Kenny Kulbiski 4 years ago
Go back a little further. Slide rules. It's hard to project a mad scientist vibe with smart phone or calculator.
Diane Aguilar 4 years ago
For a brief moment I thought Rob Sheffield had posted something onto Bored Panda and I was going to send him a private message asking him when he had decided to start contributing to this site, LOL. As for now I'll let him know he was the inspiration for a BP post.
AzKhaleesi 4 years ago
I have literally had or used everything on this list. Ahhh good times. I wish those days would come back.
A Random Panda 4 years ago
I feel old. I know like, 80/100 of these and I'm not even a teenager yet.
Reagan Maher 4 years ago
Same! We both grew up with most of these even though it really wasn't that long ago.
Load More Replies... FurryManiac 4 years ago
I grew up in the early 2000’s and I’ve seen most of these- this isn’t that old.
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