I can say something about almost everyone who reads this: you already knew this. I can say to that group, "you have said, out loud, some of the things you're about to read. And, without a doubt, have done more than one.
It struck me considering the difference in the generation we're watching in collegiate athletics.
-- The video is in the second post for those born in the 80's or more recent.
Transcript:
There's something fascinating about people who grew up in the 1970s, and psychology can prove it.
If you grew up in this era, your brain developed during a rare evolutionary windowāa time of total freedom combined with genuine responsibility. And here's what's interesting: most people who grew up in the seventies look at our current generation and just laugh. Not in a mean way, but because they know something the rest of us don't.
They experienced something that can never be recreatedāa time so magical, so free, that decades later they still say things like, "I wish I could go back and stay there," or "We really didn't know how good we had it." To put it even more perfectly: we grew up on hose water, we were feral, and it was glorious.
What made the 70s special? More importantly, what did it do to your brain that makes you different today?
The first trait is what researchers call self-directed problem solving, and it started with one phrase every 70s kid remembers: "Go find something to do, or I'll find something for you." You knew exactly what that meant. If you dared say you were bored, suddenly you were folding clothes or sweeping floors. So you learned fast: figure it out yourself.
Studies on unstructured childhood show children who had to create their own entertainment developed significantly stronger executive function and creativity. You weren't handed activities; you weren't scheduled. You had to invent your entire day from nothing. This is why you devoured books, explored on your bike for hours, or spent entire afternoons in the woods building forts.
You can say to yourself, "I was never bored. I devoured books or explored on my bike. I loved my independence." Your brain learned something modern childhood skips entirely: how to generate purpose from empty? That explains your creativity.But it doesn't explain why you seem almost supernaturally calm in chaos. That comes from this next trait: adaptive risk calibration.
You grew up climbing trees that were definitely too high, riding bikes without helmets, throwing rocks at each other, setting things on fire with fireworks. You can say it was our internetāevery scraped knee, every minor disaster reaching your nervous system, something crucial.
Research in developmental psychology shows that children who experienced physical risk in play developed better threat assessment and lower baseline anxiety as adults. Your brain learned the difference between actual danger and manageable risk by living it, not by watching it on a screen or having a parent intervene. You broke bones, you got scars, and that honestly felt like a medal of honor with a story behind it. This is why you can walk into a crisis and just start solving it while everyone else is panicking.
But here's where it gets deeperāand this is the piece most Gen Z will never understand.
You carry what researchers call comfortable solitude capacity. You spent hours in your room listening to music, laid on the grass just talking with friends, explored aloneānot because you were lonely, but because there was no screen demanding your attention every three seconds. Studies on pre-digital childhood found that people who grew up before constant connectivity show significantly less anxiety when alone with their thoughts. In fact, recent research had participants choose mild electric shocks over sitting quietly for 15 minutes. You'd probably find that ridiculous. You learned early: boredom isn't an emergency. At that time, you know you can never get bored as a kid. Your brain never developed the addiction to constant stimulation that defines modern life. This is why you can wait in long lines without losing your mind.
The fourth trait is something psychologists call analog patience, and it shaped you in ways you probably don't even realize. You waited for your favorite show once a weekāno binge watching. You took photos and waited days to see if they turned out. If you wanted to talk to someone, you memorized their phone number and hoped they were home.
Research on delayed gratification shows that people who grew up waiting for things have better impulse control, better relationship outcomes, and better career success. Your entire childhood was training in patience that modern life actively destroys. This is why instant gratification doesn't satisfy you the way it does for younger generations.
And here's the trait that ties everything together: you have what I call unsupervised autonomy wiring.
At eight years old, you left the house in the morning, and your parents' only rule was, "Be back before the streetlights come on." Nobody knew where you were. Nobody tracked your location. You rode your bike to creeks a mile out of town, you played in the woods, you went to neighborhoods far from home. And a random stranger might even offer you a lemonade and sandwiches after playing in a creek all day.
But today, that would result in police calls. Back then, it was normal.
Research on childhood independence shows that children who had freedom of movement without constant supervision developed stronger internal motivation and decision-making skills. You had to assess situations, make judgment calls, and deal with consequences yourself. Your parents weren't your friendsāthey were the authority, and they trusted you to be competent. This is why you can plan, adapt, and think critically without external guidance.
Every time you look at today's world and feel out of place, remember this: you're not outdated. You are carrying forward capabilities that are going extinct.
You survived a childhood that would get parents arrested today, and it didn't damage youāit built you. Most people will say, "I feel honored to have been able to grow up this way," or "We lived through the best decade to be a kid," and they're right. For a brief moment in human history, childhood was both completely free and genuinely formative. You got to experience something that doesn't exist anymore: a world where kids were civilized and feral at the same time.
Drop a comment if you're a 70s kid who thinks it was the best era to grow up. And if you love research-based content like this that validates who you really are, hit subscribeābecause we're just getting started.
It struck me considering the difference in the generation we're watching in collegiate athletics.
-- The video is in the second post for those born in the 80's or more recent.
Transcript:
There's something fascinating about people who grew up in the 1970s, and psychology can prove it.
If you grew up in this era, your brain developed during a rare evolutionary windowāa time of total freedom combined with genuine responsibility. And here's what's interesting: most people who grew up in the seventies look at our current generation and just laugh. Not in a mean way, but because they know something the rest of us don't.
They experienced something that can never be recreatedāa time so magical, so free, that decades later they still say things like, "I wish I could go back and stay there," or "We really didn't know how good we had it." To put it even more perfectly: we grew up on hose water, we were feral, and it was glorious.
What made the 70s special? More importantly, what did it do to your brain that makes you different today?
The first trait is what researchers call self-directed problem solving, and it started with one phrase every 70s kid remembers: "Go find something to do, or I'll find something for you." You knew exactly what that meant. If you dared say you were bored, suddenly you were folding clothes or sweeping floors. So you learned fast: figure it out yourself.
Studies on unstructured childhood show children who had to create their own entertainment developed significantly stronger executive function and creativity. You weren't handed activities; you weren't scheduled. You had to invent your entire day from nothing. This is why you devoured books, explored on your bike for hours, or spent entire afternoons in the woods building forts.
You can say to yourself, "I was never bored. I devoured books or explored on my bike. I loved my independence." Your brain learned something modern childhood skips entirely: how to generate purpose from empty? That explains your creativity.But it doesn't explain why you seem almost supernaturally calm in chaos. That comes from this next trait: adaptive risk calibration.
You grew up climbing trees that were definitely too high, riding bikes without helmets, throwing rocks at each other, setting things on fire with fireworks. You can say it was our internetāevery scraped knee, every minor disaster reaching your nervous system, something crucial.
Research in developmental psychology shows that children who experienced physical risk in play developed better threat assessment and lower baseline anxiety as adults. Your brain learned the difference between actual danger and manageable risk by living it, not by watching it on a screen or having a parent intervene. You broke bones, you got scars, and that honestly felt like a medal of honor with a story behind it. This is why you can walk into a crisis and just start solving it while everyone else is panicking.
But here's where it gets deeperāand this is the piece most Gen Z will never understand.
You carry what researchers call comfortable solitude capacity. You spent hours in your room listening to music, laid on the grass just talking with friends, explored aloneānot because you were lonely, but because there was no screen demanding your attention every three seconds. Studies on pre-digital childhood found that people who grew up before constant connectivity show significantly less anxiety when alone with their thoughts. In fact, recent research had participants choose mild electric shocks over sitting quietly for 15 minutes. You'd probably find that ridiculous. You learned early: boredom isn't an emergency. At that time, you know you can never get bored as a kid. Your brain never developed the addiction to constant stimulation that defines modern life. This is why you can wait in long lines without losing your mind.
The fourth trait is something psychologists call analog patience, and it shaped you in ways you probably don't even realize. You waited for your favorite show once a weekāno binge watching. You took photos and waited days to see if they turned out. If you wanted to talk to someone, you memorized their phone number and hoped they were home.
Research on delayed gratification shows that people who grew up waiting for things have better impulse control, better relationship outcomes, and better career success. Your entire childhood was training in patience that modern life actively destroys. This is why instant gratification doesn't satisfy you the way it does for younger generations.
And here's the trait that ties everything together: you have what I call unsupervised autonomy wiring.
At eight years old, you left the house in the morning, and your parents' only rule was, "Be back before the streetlights come on." Nobody knew where you were. Nobody tracked your location. You rode your bike to creeks a mile out of town, you played in the woods, you went to neighborhoods far from home. And a random stranger might even offer you a lemonade and sandwiches after playing in a creek all day.
But today, that would result in police calls. Back then, it was normal.
Research on childhood independence shows that children who had freedom of movement without constant supervision developed stronger internal motivation and decision-making skills. You had to assess situations, make judgment calls, and deal with consequences yourself. Your parents weren't your friendsāthey were the authority, and they trusted you to be competent. This is why you can plan, adapt, and think critically without external guidance.
Every time you look at today's world and feel out of place, remember this: you're not outdated. You are carrying forward capabilities that are going extinct.
- The independence that looks like coldness? That's competence.
- The comfort with silence that looks like antisocial behavior? That's depth.
- The ability to wait that looks like apathy? That's discipline.
You survived a childhood that would get parents arrested today, and it didn't damage youāit built you. Most people will say, "I feel honored to have been able to grow up this way," or "We lived through the best decade to be a kid," and they're right. For a brief moment in human history, childhood was both completely free and genuinely formative. You got to experience something that doesn't exist anymore: a world where kids were civilized and feral at the same time.
Drop a comment if you're a 70s kid who thinks it was the best era to grow up. And if you love research-based content like this that validates who you really are, hit subscribeābecause we're just getting started.
