There is a well-known fact about our generations, namely that the era in which we grow up will definitely shape us forever, so whether you are a boomer or a millennial you can’t oppose this natural phenomenon.

The truth is that technology has advanced a lot and it’s no secret that it leads our lives today, but unlike the younger generations, boomers also lived in times when the focus was on other serious things that helped us have fun and improve our brain functions at the same time. For example, decades ago you had to calculate in your mind when you had to do solve a mathematical problem, unlike today, when you can do this on your phone in just a few seconds. To be more specific, you had to think for yourself and cope with any situation, because there was no technology to think for you.

Do you remember when you had to check your U.S. road atlas to plan your next vacation? Now, all you have to do is to charge your phone and search Google for what you need to know. Of course, not to mention when you had to meet someone and there were no phones at that time… so you had to trust their words and hope that they got to your meeting point. 

On the other hand, we have to admit that technology makes things easier and our lives better in many ways, but we have to take into consideration that this is one of the most important factors that has changed us and our lifestyles. The things we did that helped us develop mentally and physically are now considered out of date and obsolete. 

So, if you want to remember these things and smile with nostalgia, read on to find out what technology has changed over time and that only people over the age of 40 remember.

Memorizing a phone number

A few decades ago, you had to know certain phone numbers by heart or write them on a piece of paper and make sure that you never lose that paper, because otherwise, you couldn’t find the person that you wanted to call. Of course, things have changed, and all you have to do now is to save the phone number on your device. Not to mention that it’s easier for you to call someone whenever you want because you have unlimited data, calls and text messages as well. 

Nowadays, there are people who don’t even know their partner’s phone number. According to experts, it is important to teach your children your phone number, because they should know it if they are lost and need to find you. In other words, if they know your number by heart, they can tell it to the police or someone else and they could find you faster. Well, it seems that memorizing a phone number can still be useful. 

Inserting a ‘for sale’ sign on your used car

Remember when you had to put up a sign with “it’s for sale” when you wanted to get rid of your used car and hoped that someone would see it and buy it? Of course, the number of people who could see that sign was very low, unlike today when you can place an ad on the internet and it can be seen by many people. In addition, you are more likely to sell your car quickly if you do so. 

According to experts, if you want to sell your car these days, all you have to do is to opt for advertising it on the right site, prepare your documents, set an attractive ‘asking price’, set up a test drive, and close the deal. In the past, you had to ask your neighbors about the price to help you set an attractive asking price, but today you can simply check out various sites and see the price of similar cars there.

Figuring out math in your head

People who lived in another era know that it was impossible to carry a calculator with you when you were at the grocery store and you had no choice but to figure out math in your head. At that time, there were no mobile phones that had a calculating function on them, so you had to deal with the math you learned in school. Yet, if you were skipping math classes from high school, you could be scammed by merchants when they gave you the change.

However, there is a positive side to this phenomenon in which you had to do math in your head, namely that it can help you improve your brain functions and keep your mind sharp. If you do everything on your phone and it becomes an extension of your hand, you won’t be able to do anything without it. 

Making photo albums

Who needs to make photo albums when you can do this on your phone, or other electronic devices, or various online apps, such as Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest and so on? In addition, people over the age of 40 know that making album photos was one of the most interesting and beautiful things that you had to do to keep your memories alive for years. Some people even kept photos of their partners in their wallets to bring them good luck. 

If you are from a younger generation, you may know that photo albums were very popular decades ago, maybe because your grandparents still show you photos of your family when you visit them, right? Maybe you gather and look at pictures with your parents since they were little and laugh together about those wonderful times.

Cutting things out of the newspaper

Newspapers were very famous a few years ago and many people used to buy them every morning because they managed to keep you informed and entertained. However, today we are a click away from the news and other important information. At that time, when you or your parents finished reading a newspaper, you couldn’t throw it away just like that, but you had to cut things out of it and paste them in different journals and oracles. In general, people who did this were considered creative and cool. 

Some people did this because they wanted to keep in touch with other family members, so they sent an important part of an article to a relative with a text that read, “you might find this interesting”, “have you seen it?” or “what do you think about this?”. Nowadays, all you have to do is to send them an email and copy and paste a link. 

Sending a handwritten letter

Ask your grandparents about handwritten letters and they will tell you that they were some of the most popular and beautiful things that you had to do to keep in touch with someone. The best part is that the handwritten letters were not only personal, interesting and useful, but they managed to make you happier as well. 

It has been shown that writing your thoughts on a piece of paper can actually increase your level of happiness. According to Steve Toepfer from Kent State University, if you send a handwritten letter from time to time “you’ll feel happier, you’ll feel more satisfied, and if you’re suffering from depressive symptoms, your symptoms will decrease.”

It’s no secret that telling your friends how you feel about them and how much you appreciate them will help you form strong connections and also make you realize that you have a beautiful life and you are surrounded by nice people. 

Looking up the spelling of words in the dictionary

There are a lot of apps that can help us with the correct spelling of words and their meaning, but several years ago you needed a dictionary to help you with this task. Imagine that you are traveling to another country where people could not speak English and you do not have a smartphone to help you with the translation. It would be quite difficult for you to communicate with other people, right?

So, back in 1900, many people bought dictionaries to cope with any social situation, especially when they had to visit other countries. If the pronunciation was bad, all you had to do was to go ahead and hope that people understood what you said.