No matter what we do or how we feel about it, time keeps marching forward. And while reminiscing about the past can be a double-edged sword, providing both melancholy and comfort, the Facebook group ‘Grew Up In The 80’s and The 90’s’ invites people to do just that.

Though this online community is quite young even by the internet’s standards (it was created in January 2019), 1.6 million people have already joined it, sharing everything that they remember from the two decades.

So whether you want a strong dose of nostalgia or simply to learn what the good old days were all about, we invite you to check out these handpicked posts we gathered from the group.

More info: Facebook

#1 They’re The Golden Girls You Buy Off Wish

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#2 Silver Surfer

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The word nostalgia was first coined in 1688 by Swiss physician Johannes Hofer, who defined it as a neurological illness of continually thinking about one’s homeland and longing for return.

It wasn’t until the 19th century that nostalgia began to be seen as a positive sentiment, rather than a pathological condition. The legendary Swiss psychiatrist Carl Jung, for example, viewed nostalgia as a way of reconnecting with our past in order to understand our present. For Jung, nostalgia was a way to access the “collective unconscious”—the shared history and experiences that we all have as human beings.

And looking at the content of this group, one can definitely see where he was coming from.

#3 If You Know, You Know

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#4 No More Snow Days For Kids In School Now. They Still Have To Go To Virtual School Instead Of A Day Off. Covid Ruined Everything

Image credits: Allison Maloney

#5 My Aunt Was Getting Rid Of Some Things And Gave Me These Treasures From My Childhood. I Know They’re Not Worth Much, But The Memories Are Priceless

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Over the past decade or so, some comprehensible literature on the psychology of nostalgia has developed. Research shows that people engage in nostalgic reverie mostly when they’re feeling low in an attempt to boost their mood and self-confidence.

Experimental evidence indicates that nostalgia is experienced as an overwhelmingly positive emotion. It not only has the power to boost one’s mood but can increase a sense of meaning in life as well. Furthermore, it also raises self-esteem and optimism for the future.

However, some, like University of Southern California psychologist David Newman, argue that these effects may be due more to the experimental setup than to the true nature of nostalgia.

#6 My 1991 Cassette Mixtape. ? Kids Today Couldn’t Imagine The Time And Effort To Make These! I Did Replicate This On My Current Streaming Services, So I’m Current With The Times

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#7 I Laughed Way Harder Than I Should’ve At This

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#8 And They Never Actually Knew Where We Were Which Is Kinda Terrifying And Wouldn’t Fly Today

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#9 I Used To Wonder What Kevin’s Parents Were Doing For A Living But Now I Realize They Were Both Actors

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Exploring the relationship between nostalgia and mood, Newman and colleagues performed a time-lag analysis, meaning they correlated people’s feelings of nostalgia with mood later that day and the next day.

The results showed that mood tended to remain low throughout that time period. This suggests that nostalgia is either ineffective at boosting mood or that it even causes feelings of depression. Other possible negative effects of nostalgia include:

• A sense of loneliness and isolation;
• Dwelling on the past and becoming unhappy with the present;
• Becoming less likely to take action in the present.

#10 Total Realtor Glamour Shot Style Picture

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#11 My Sister Always Looked For Hayley In The 70s. There Were Never Any Hayley’s. Now It’s Such A Common Name

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#12 That Class Has Probably Served Me More Than Any Other Class I Took In High School

Image credits: Amy L Kelley

#13 It’s How I Taught My Son In The Late 90s

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But what is it about these two decades that people remember? Well, in the 1980s, many embraced a new conservatism in social, economic, and political life, characterized by the policies of U.S. President Ronald Reagan and, in the United Kingdom, Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher.

For some, the 1960s and 1970s had been a troubling time: the countercultural movements of the era, the Watergate scandal, the Vietnam War, the energy crisis, rising crime, and inflation had undermined Americans’ confidence in their fellow citizens and in their government. But the 1980s are often regarded for the opposite, namely its materialism and consumerism.

This period also saw the rise of the “yuppie,” an explosion of blockbuster movies and the emergence of cable networks like MTV, which introduced the music video and launched the careers of many iconic artists, and the emergence of the AIDS crisis, which would go on to kill more than 700,000 people in the U.S. alone. 

#14 Yup!

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#15 As A Kid: “Look At That Jet Ski!” Adult: “A New Kitchen!”

Image credits: Tom Worthington-Morales

#16 Loved That Guy On Home Improvement

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#17 It Was True. They Just Forgot To Mention That Removing The Ink Would Also Obliterate The Paper

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Similarly, the 1990s is also often remembered as a decade of relative peace and prosperity. The Soviet Union fell, ending the decades-long Cold War, and the rise of the Internet ushered in a radical new era of communication, business, and entertainment.

Canadian novelist, designer, and visual artist Douglas Coupland thinks that for North Americans and Europeans, the 1990s possessed a sense of happiness that seems long vanished.

“Money still generated money. Computers were becoming fast easy and cheap, and with them came a sense of equality for everyone,” he wrote. “Things were palpably getting better everywhere. History was over and it felt great. I also remember working at Wired magazine, though, in 1993, and having a discussion about the internet with one of the editors, Kevin Kelly. The thrust was that there was an internet, sure, but there was nowhere to go. Kevin said, ‘Nonsense,’ and took me to a website showing a slowly downloading weather map of Northern California and southern Oregon.”

#18 This Is Why We Typed “You” As “U” “Are” As “R” Ect

Image credits: Kelly Strickland

#19 But It Feels So Right

Image credits: Aaron Gaspie

#20 Between Our Windbreakers And Hairspray, Wind Never Stood A Chance

Image credits: Lizzy Deutscher

#21 Thats Problem Solving Skills Right There! Kids Don’t Know What It’s Like To Have To Start All The Way Over When You Run Out Of Lives!

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So what can we do if we think about those times and find ourselves in a bad place instead of a good one? Experts suggest to:

• Think about the present moment. What are you doing right now that you enjoy?
• Make an effort to connect with others in the present. Spend time with people you care about. Talk to them about your positive memories.
• Do things that make you happy. Listen to music, go for walks, and watch your favorite movie.
• Talk to a therapist. If you’re feeling particularly down, talking to a therapist can help.
• Be mindful. Be aware of how much time you spend dwelling on the past.

#22 I Loved Them When I Was Little. My Parents Had To Hide Them From Me So I Wouldn’t Eat Them All

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#23 I Think It Was The Fancy Dinner Party In The Ad. I Always Begged Mum To Buy It But She Never Did. I Had Some Recently And Was A Touch Disappointed. The Chocolate Isn’t The Nicest

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#24 One Of The Best Cinderella Movies Ever Made

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#25 Isn’t It Amazing How Many Of Us ‘Smoked’ Candy And Grew Up To Not Be Smokers. Weird How That Happens

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#26 Terrible When The Teacher Caught The Notes. My Hs History Would Read The Notes To The Class

Image credits: Roos Dax

#27 If I Could Only Keep 1 Show From My Childhood, This Is It. And It’s Not Even Close

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#28 Chacha And Kinicki Straight Up Looking Like Somebody’s Parents Embarrassing The Hell Out Of Their Kids At The High School Dance

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#29 “Ernest — My A*s. I Can See — My A*s.” “And There’s Something Really Wrong With Your Neck Too.”

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#30 You Could Fry An Egg On These Things

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#31 What A Treasure

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#32 The Pinnacle Of My Childhood Artistic Career

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#33 I Miss These Kind Of Commercials

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#34 Simpler Times Then

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#35 This Hit The Feels

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#36 In Honor Of The Death Of Angela Lansbury, This Was One Of My Favorite Childhood Movies

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#37 My Dad’s Text Tone Was “Not The Momma”. Miss Hearing That

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#38 Found This Gem At My Parents House Today

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#39 My 8yo Self Used To Really Watch This

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#40 So When I Was 8 Years Old I Would Have Given My Right Arm For One These Classics ? It’s Only Taken 35 Years But I Can Honestly Say My 8 Year Old Self Is A Very Happy Little Girl

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#41 In The 80s It Was A Hockey Card And A Cloth Pin

Image credits: Jami Smith

#42 Look What I Found At Costco For My Granddaughters Christmas Gift. I Was So Excited I Actually Squealed

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#43 Very True

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#44 A Trip Down Memory Lane

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#45 I Can Hear This Photo

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#46 Very Old School

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#47 Always Thought She Was Fishing For A Man

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#48 Your Face Would Get Very Hot And You’d Really Have To Watch Your Hair. Dangerous Maneuver!

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#49 Awesome Halftime Show

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#50 It Was Great. You Could Skip The First Tape With The Mushy Love Story And Jump To The Second Tape With All The Action

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