Boomers were born between 1946 and 1964, making them between the ages of 60 and 78 years old. Boomers often have a less-than-stellar reputation, as younger generations see them as out-of-touch old people holding onto an outdated lifestyle while complaining endlessly about how things were better back in their day. Yet many boomer habits people make fun of are actually good for you.
Boomers weren’t born into the digital age, which means they grew up in a slower paced world. Boomers would never have believed that someday we’d all walk around with phones in our pockets, let alone phones that were also computers that could connect people in an instant.
Technological advances make certain aspects of life easier, but the drawbacks shouldn’t be ignored either. Leaning into a boomer lifestyle and adopting some of their habits can be beneficial for everyone, no matter how old you are.
Here are 10 boomer habits people make fun of that are actually good for you
1. Eating dinner at the table
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Boomers might get dragged for eating dinner at 5:30 in the evening and not tipping their servers, yet it turns out that one part of their mealtime routine is actually very good for you: eating dinner at the table, without the distraction of screens.
Putting their phones away and eating at the table gives people built-in time to decompress and reconnect. Intuitive eating counselor Lisa Newman explained that having a shared family meal leads to healthier eating patterns, along with less family stress and stronger bonds between family members.
She acknowledged that it can be super tempting for parents of younger children to pop their kids in front of a screen so they can eat a meal in relative peace and quiet, yet restricting screens around meals teaches kids many essential life skills, like mindful eating, proper manners, and how to have an actual conversation.
Going screen-free for every meal might not be possible, yet aiming for one night a week where phones disappear and everyone eats together at the table can be seriously beneficial for the whole family.
2. Going to bed early
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Another boomer habit people make fun of that’s actually good for you is going to bed early. Getting a good night’s sleep is often easier said than done, yet as one public health study from the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health revealed, a large portion of people’s sleep disturbances have to do with technology.
The study noted that taking our phones to bed and being chronically online makes it harder to disconnect and turn our brains off to get the rest we desperately need. Americans today sleep less than 7.5 hours a night on average, which is a major decrease from the amount of sleep people used to get. In 1910, Americans slept for an estimated average of 9 hours a night.
Low-quality sleep can negatively impact people’s mental and physical health, which means that making fun of boomers for tucking in early doesn’t make much sense. If younger generations followed in their footsteps and went to bed earlier, it’s highly likely they’d feel significantly better than they do now, doom-scrolling until dawn.
3. Drinking coffee every morning
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The older people get, the more tied to their routines they become, but in the case of morning coffee, that’s a good thing. Nutrition experts at Johns Hopkins University revealed that drinking coffee isn’t as bad of a habit as people think it is, since coffee has antioxidants and other substances that reduce internal inflammation and protect people from disease. Coffee consumption might even put a stop to certain conditions that are more common for women, including heart disease and Alzheimer’s disease.
The nutrition experts noted that drinking one to two cups of coffee a day can protect against heart failure and stroke. Drinking coffee can protect your liver and help your body process sugar better. Health benefits aside, having a morning ritual can keep people feeling balanced and ready to take on the day, which is something everyone needs more of.
4. Calling instead of texting
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Boomers might get made fun of for their communication style, like sending an email, then sending a follow-up text to make sure you got their email, then using the phone in a way Steve Jobs never intended and calling, to tell you they sent you a text. Yet it turns out that calling instead of texting is actually good for you.
Despite how connected we are to the digital world, we live in a lonelier era than ever before. The ease of sending a text cuts people off from each other. Texting might make communication seem more streamlined, but we miss out the joy of hearing our loved ones’ voices on the other line.
In a conversation with YourTango CEO Andrea Miller on YourTango’s podcast, “Getting Open,” psychologist Guy Winch revealed why reaching out to other people is the only way to soothe loneliness.
“When you’re lonely, you feel so alone, so raw, so rejected, so unseen, that the idea of reaching out and risking more rejection or a rebuff seems more than you can stand, so you don’t,” he explained. “You see on social media, everyone looks connected, happy, in groups, with friends, and you’re sitting by yourself… and you feel like my emotional needs, my connection needs are not being met. And it’s that gap that creates loneliness.”
Winch described loneliness as an emotional wound, saying it’s “something that needs healing. It needs proactivity on your part. Wounds, emotional ones, don’t usually heal just by themselves that well. They need an assist, like any other wound.”
He advocated for stepping up and doing the scariest thing imaginable: calling people first.
“You need to be brave, you need to start putting together the support as much as you can, and start advocating for yourself, and really start reaching out,” he concluded.
5. Going to the library
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It might seem super old-timey to sit quietly, surrounded by stacks of books, but libraries provide so much more than reading material. They’re community spaces that offer free or low-cost classes and clubs. Going to the library is a way to stay connected, and the best part about it: it’s free!
Visiting the library is one habit that Gen Z and millennials have adopted as their own. They’re walking down the road toward nostalgia and finding a wealth of access, along with that elusive “third space” outside of their homes and workplaces where they can go to find in-person communities.
6. Using coupons
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The idea of collecting coupons might conjure up the image of your grandma, sitting in her bathrobe on Sunday morning, cutting coupons out of the newspaper and storing them alphabetically in one of those little accordion-boxes. Coupons might not be fire, but in a world where groceries are more expensive than ever, using coupons just hits different.
Boomers are often criticized for their role in building their wealth in a way that’s denied the generations after them that same access, yet their frugal habits are something younger people can definitely learn from.
7. Writing by hand
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A boomer habit people make fun of that is actually good for you is writing by hand. Typing might be faster than putting pen to paper, but we miss out on major cognitive processes when we don’t write by hand. Writing by hand requires the different brain systems to work together.
For young kids, writing by hand builds a foundation for literacy later in life by improving memory and word recall. For adults, writing by hand helps people understand complex topics. Handwriting also forces us to slow down and pay attention to what we’re putting on the page.
As neuroscientist Ramesh Balasubramaniam explained, “There’s actually some very important things going on during the embodied experience of writing by hand. It has important cognitive benefits.” Writing by hand might seem more work, but it’s actually really good for you, and for your brain.
8. Fixing broken things instead of replacing them
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Repairing broken things instead of replacing them is a solid way to save money and cut down on waste. Fixing things can also boost your sense of accomplishment since you’re learning a new, hands-on skill.
Tinkering with a toaster oven might seem like a strange way to spend the weekend, but older appliances are often better built than their modern counterparts, which is an argument for not throwing them away.
Not all old-fashioned habits should be overlooked, especially ones that help you live within your means. So, channel your inner boomer, strap on your tool belt and start fixing.
9. Walking every day
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Moving our bodies, even just a little every day, is essential for our physical and mental health. According to the American Psychological Association, adults who got the recommended amount of weekly exercise, which breaks down to about 2.5 hours of walking, lowered their risk of depression by 25%.
A study from Harvard Medical School discovered that access to nature can actually lower a person’s mortality rate. “The truth is, we are nature,” Peter James, a professor at Harvard Medical School, explained. “We were not evolved to be in a windowless room staring at a computer screen. These artificial environments make us stressed. They force us to focus more than we want to, and they tire our cognitive function.”
Walking every day is a simple and effective way to shake up your routine and put your health first.
10. Sending thank you notes
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In an age of email and instant communication, taking the time to write and send a note feels special. It’s an act of care and kindness that shows how much you truly appreciate someone.
Sending thank you notes is an important part of practicing gratitude, and it shows you were raised with good manners. There’s nothing quite like the joy of seeing an envelope addressed to you, amidst piles of junk mail.
While some boomer habits are better left in the past, other habits should be brought back, because they actually improve your quality of life.
Alexandra Blogier is a writer on YourTango’s news and entertainment team. She covers social issues, pop culture analysis and all things to do with the entertainment industry.
