Two-thirds of the attempts at humour during these talks fell flat, drawing either polite chuckles or no laughter at all. Almost one-quarter of attempted jokes were judged as a "moderate success", eliciting audible laughter from around half the audience. Only 9% prompted most or all of the attendees to laugh enthusiastically.
For thirty years, this was our dynamic. He spoke, I listened. He diagnosed, I absorbed. He performed his one-man show of truth-telling, and I sat in the audience, taking notes on everything wrong with me.
Younger people definitely laugh (even lightheartedly!) at the things older people tend to do, like napping, playing bingo, or eating dinner early. But recently, the BuzzFeed Community wrote in to share the "old person" habits they've adopted that actually make life way better - and it got such a great response that even more people shared habits of their own! So, from young and old alike, here are some "old person" habits that you might consider adopting for yourself:
If you woke up too early on a Saturday, you'd turn on the TV to find... nothing. Just a test pattern or static. Television stations actually signed off at night and didn't start broadcasting again until morning. Can you imagine explaining this to kids today? That there was literally nothing to watch? No Netflix library, no YouTube, no endless content.
Sunday roast at six o'clock sharp. The smell of gravy wafting from the kitchen. Everyone seated around the same table, no exceptions. The clatter of cutlery on proper plates, not a phone in sight. If you grew up in a boomer household, this scene probably triggers some serious nostalgia. But describe it to today's kids, and they'd look at you like you're describing life on another planet.
I think of my dad, the 21-year-old broadcast journalism major said, explaining that he is a business owner who works in finance, not exactly the most trendy, fashionable guy. Watching from home was the subject of the joke himself: McCrary Mac Lowe. His reaction, a blend of disbelief and amusement, was captured by his wife, Shannon, who filmed the moment and later posted it to Instagram.
Each decade of life comes with its share of pluses and minuses, but there's something special about being in your 40s. You're wiser and more mature than you were in your youth, more comfortable in your skin and you know what you like. Sure, you may not have quite as much energy as you once did. But you're still having a whole lot of fun - it's just that your definition of fun has changed over time.
Each decade of life comes with its share of pluses and minuses, but there's something special about being in your 40s. You're wiser and more mature than you were in your youth, more comfortable in your skin and you know what you like. Sure, you may not have quite as much energy as you once did. But you're still having a whole lot of fun - it's just that your definition of fun has changed over time.
Psychologists who study narrative identity have found that elderly individuals often repeat specific stories as a way of preserving and transmitting their core identity and values. These aren't random tales that bubble up from failing memory. They're carefully curated selections from a lifetime of experiences, chosen unconsciously for their significance.
When I was eight, my grandmother taught me how to make her famous apple pie. But it wasn't really about the pie. Every Saturday afternoon, we'd stand side by side in her kitchen, her weathered hands guiding mine as we rolled out dough. She'd tell stories about her childhood, ask about my week at school, and somehow make me feel like the most important person in the world.
I should have said 'I don't know' more often. That woman's nine words unlocked something in the room. Suddenly everyone wanted to talk about the exhausting performance of parental certainty they'd maintained for decades.
He was crying over a bowl of oatmeal he had to make himself. That moment changed how I see strength. How I see men. How I see myself. The weight of ordinary things. We think the big stuff is what breaks us. Death, divorce, losing a job. And yeah, those things hurt like hell. But sometimes it's the small stuff that cuts deepest.
Baby care brand Frida is facing online backlash after screenshots of sexual innuendos in its marketing materials began circulating on social media. Frida, which describes itself as "the brand that gets parents," sells a range of baby care, fertility, and postpartum products through major retailers, including Target. Last week, an X user shared images of several products' packaging, writing: "sexual jokes to market baby products is actually sick and twisted @fridababy this is absolutely appalling and disgusting."