Have you ever imagined owning a Time Machine that you could use to go back in time and witness the lives of your parents? How did they live? What did they do in School? How did they enjoy? Basically, witnessing the life of previous generations.
What Causes Generational Changes?
Culture often changes with time – new traditions are formed, old ones get outdated – this change often leads to generational changes as each generation gets to experience a different culture. The classical theories of generational change focus almost exclusively on just one aspect of cultural change: major change. ‘Generation units’ are a set of individuals who experienced the same events while they were young and were bonded by common experience ( Karl Mannheim). Many researchers state that major events affect the mental, physical and social well-being of an individual, hence shaping their. The generation that survived COVID would remain sensitive to something similar to a pandemic throughout their lives.
However, along with the major events, minor events like the adaptation of festivals of other religions and cultures, also were the cause of cultural changes, by all means which make life different today from thirty years ago, fifty years ago or a hundred years ago. For example, a hundred years ago, the average Indian household would consist of large families. The average life of a female would be like being married by 16 and having kids by 20 or 22. However, today the average life of a female consists of education by 22, married by 25 and having kids by 30 ( might differ by area ). India, being under British rule, had a very different governing system. Society also once considered caste-based segregation completely normal, but today it is regarded as morally repugnant. These cultural changes are linear and roughly moving in the same direction.
Read More: Generational Silence and Emotional Healing: Why Speaking Up Matters
Were the Older Generation Smarter?
Have you ever watched your mother handle three tasks at once and felt inferior, wondering why you struggle to manage your own life? You would have thought that your parents were more intelligent and active as compared to you. While there is wide variation in the magnitude of generational change in IQ across countries (Pietschnig & Voracek, 2015), in the US, children and adults score higher on IQ tests as compared to previous generations. It has been argued that this rate of change has been true for about a century (Pietschnig & Voracek, 2015). Popularity is known as the Flynn Effect (Flynn, 1984). However, research on the reverse Flynn Effect is limited, and far more evidence supports the original Flynn Effect.
Major studies conducted during and after the COVID-19 pandemic showed that individuals from the younger generation showed higher psychological distress compared to older generations. The previous generation has already lived their lives – experienced various events, hence leading to the development of resilience over time, while for most of the Gen Zs, COVID-19 was the first global pandemic or major event they would have encountered.
Were Older Generations Smarter with Money?
The average net worth of millennials was approximately $333,000 in 2024. The average net worth of Gen X individuals was around $1.13 million, as noted in the Retirement Savings Assessment 2020. Various studies emphasise differences in financial well-being (FWB) across age groups. Financial well-being refers to a person’s overall financial situation and their ability to handle financial challenges. A CFPB (2017a) report found that older consumers in the United States generally enjoy higher financial well-being than younger people. Even though younger generations often earn higher salaries, older individuals usually have better spending habits, which allows them to achieve financial stability earlier in life. However, factors such as inflation and increasing costs of living also play a role in this trend.
Are Gen Zs Loyal to their Workplace?
Baby boomers were the generation of workaholics; they really changed their jobs and often took pride in spending long years in the same company (Gursoy et al., 2008). They often expected promotions to work as per seniority and loyalty. However, these demographics started changing in later generations. Unlike the Boomers, Gen X employees are not afraid to job hop because they are confident that each leap would land them in a higher position that pays more (Altimier,2006). However, they preferred to stay at one job to have stability and promotional factors.
And today, with Gen Z entering the workforce, the trend could be clearly visible as they tend to leave jobs for better opportunities and do not fear the unexpected in life. Earlier generations often feared uncertainty and therefore tended to stay stuck in one job. However, later generations started prioritising work-life balance, mental health, etc, which might contribute to job hopping if the work environment is toxic. Gen Y gym employees showed a similar pattern; they were more confident and enthusiastic to learn and try new things when their manager respected their opinions(Hill and Stephens, 2003).
They expect managers to not only listen to their ideas but also to provide prompt feedback and rewards for their achievements. Unlike their seniors, they are not afraid to speak up if something bothers them. A similar pattern appeared among millennials, and it showed a drastic increase in Gen Z. Hence sooner the older generation managers learn that younger generations are prioritising mental peace, better opportunities, a healthy lifestyle over stability in jobs, the sooner they will be able to create a professional and desirable workplace.
Read More: Why Adulting Looks Different for Millennials and Gen Z
Has Love Changed Over Generations?
Earlier generations – silent generations, baby boomers, etc, viewed love as duty, responsibility, mainly as a traditional and long-term commitment. In Conservative countries like India, the idea of love was not socially accepted. Ideas like tradition, family honour, and culture were prioritised over love. This ideology prevailed in almost all parts of the world, with different levels of acceptance towards romance. Traditionalists (born before 1946) often did not view happiness as essential to marriage, as it was not seen as a defining factor(Haydn Shaw,2025). In 1960, 65% of traditionalists aged 18 to 32 entered marriage. (Compared to 26% of millennials in 2013 who were married by those same ages.)
Baby boomers comparatively became more fluid towards the concept of soulmate and romance. However, society still considered divorce a taboo and tried to avoid it, no matter how unhappy or toxic the marriage was. In later generations, people tended to prioritise love, understanding, and connection over traditional desires from marriage; however, the concept of divorce also observed a rise. People refused to overlook incompatibility, issues, harassment, cheating, etc. Older generations have consistently promoted a narrative that marriage may not survive millennials and Gen Z, but this has been proven wrong.
Read More: Infidelity And Micro Cheating: A Hurdle in A Relationship
Shifting Views of Marriage Across Generations
Even though younger generations across the world postpone marriage and tend to prioritise career and self-fulfilment, they do not disregard it. Younger generations today see marriage and relationships as autonomy-focused partnerships. Older generations see it as a duty-bound commitment, which is essential for survival in society. At present, the major population in the United States, including Gen Zs as well as millennials, believe that marriage is important as it shows commitment, but not essential for a fulfilling and well-balanced life.
Reference +
Platt JM, Keyes KM, McLaughlin KA, Kaufman AS. The Flynn effect for fluid IQ may not generalise to all ages or ability levels: a population-based study of 10,000 US adolescents. Intelligence. 2019. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7176308/#R18
Shaw H.,(2025) Which Generation Has the Best Marriages? Focus on the family https://www.focusonthefamily.com/marriage/which-generation-has-the-best-marriages/
https://lifestyle.sustainability-directory.com/term/intergenerational-norm-transmission
Peluso O (2025). Money Habits of the Millennial Generation. Investopedia https://www.investopedia.com/articles/personal-finance/021914/money-habits millennials.asp
Kingstone, H. (2021). Generational identities: Historical and literary perspectives. Social and Personality Psychology Compass, e12641. https://doi.org/10.1111/spc3.12641
Andrale Jeanlouis, Generational differences in gender equity and social justice beliefs among U.S. military women, Frontiers in Organisational Psychology, 10.3389/forgp.. 2025.1667699, 3, (2025).
