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The “Nostalgia Hype” is a problematic result of two psychological phenomena colliding: false memories and social proof. This combination creates insatiable and unrealistic needs in people’s minds, leading to disappointment when reality fails to meet the polished version of the past we’ve constructed.

1. False Memories

Our brains are imperfect storage devices. They cannot store every detail of our lives—that would require too much processing power. Even when a memory is stored, it is rarely complete. To compensate, our brain fills the gaps, often fabricating minor details like what someone was wearing, their height, or the weather.

For example, the brain does not store our eye movements (a phenomenon related to saccadic masking). When we recall a memory involving movement, the brain essentially recreates that motion. While this might seem trivial, it has huge implications: the substitute memories created by our brain feel just as real as the authentic ones. We become persuaded that we saw things that never happened.

The work of Elizabeth Loftus

Elizabeth Loftus, an American cognitive psychologist specializing in human memory, has conducted extensive research showing how suggestion and imagination can create memories of events that didn’t actually occur.

Through several studies—ranging from car crash witnesses to childhood events—she demonstrated how a false memory can be implanted by an external event, a person, or even self-pressure.

FALSE MEMORIES are often created by combining actual memories with suggestions received from others. The memory of a happy childhood outing to the beach, for instance, can be distorted by a suggestion into a memory of being afraid or lost.

In the legal field, this is critical. A simple change in how a question is formulated can influence testimonies and confessions. But why should we worry about this in User Experience?

The impact on UX

Humans are subjective creatures. We are not as reasonable or objective as we like to think. We might not have even experienced the “happy memory” we believe we stored, which makes our current needs corrupted. In design and UX, having a vulnerable memory leads to false needs.

Our desires are partly formed by what we have previously experienced. Consider the “Chocolate Example”:

“Oh, this chocolate brand tasted so good when I ate some during my childhood at Christmas, and I finally found it in a store!”

In reality, this person is highly influenced by the general positive memory of Christmas with their family. Seeing the brand triggers that pleasant association. The chocolate itself might have been mediocre, but the brain didn’t retain that specific sensory detail. Instead, it filled the “taste gap” with the positive emotions felt at that moment. Nostalgia is the most vulnerable state for false memories.

Trying too hard to remember an experience often corrupts it with the general feeling of the era. It is similar to the “Halo Effect”—liking a whole entity because we loved one part of it. This becomes even more worrying when other people get involved, especially in the age of social media.

2. Social Proof

False memories are rarely constructed in isolation; they are often combined with suggestions from others. This brings us to the second phenomenon: Social Proof.

First explained by Robert B. Cialdini in Influence: Science and Practice, social proof describes how people look to others to determine their own behavior.

“We view a behavior as more correct in a given situation to the degree that we see others performing it.”

We take people as a reference, consciously or unconsciously. It is a survival trait that allows us to fit in and act “correctly.”

One of the most popular uses of this trait is in sitcoms like Friends or The Big Bang Theory. They play recorded laughter during funny moments because studies show spectators laugh louder and more often when cued—even if the jokes aren’t particularly good.

The dangerous combination

When you pair False Memories with Social Proof, you get the Nostalgia Hype.

This hype is initially formed by old memories, often from childhood. Let’s focus on video games as an example.

We try to remember a game from the distant past. We cannot recall every texture, mechanic, or dialogue line, so we try harder. At this point, false memories are born. Since our memory is full of holes, our brain fills them with positive details because we want to remember it as a good experience.

Why do we want this? Because of Social Proof. We are influenced by the internet, forums, or friends who claim, “That game was legendary back then!”

When these two phenomena reinforce each other, we fall for the hype. If we had a single slice of positive sensation with a product back then, false memory and social proof will convince us that we loved the entire experience and need it back immediately.

The reality check

Our brain loses context. We might be nostalgic for a video game that was “fine” in 1998. But if you put that same game in the hands of someone who never played it, they might struggle to play for more than five minutes.

Why? Because it is out of context for today’s standards.

The game likely suffers from UX frictions, rigid controls, or poor pacing—faults that have vanished from our memory, replaced by the “good vibes” of our childhood.

Everything progresses: video games, cars, interfaces, and working conditions. They have evolved to be more optimal for our current needs. Relying on corrupted needs causes dissatisfaction because the nostalgic product is designed to satisfy old needs, not the ones we feel today.

Conclusion

The combination of false memories and social proof is toxic for both consumers and companies. Insatiable, unrealistic needs can only cause frustration and disappointment. Even if nostalgia generates initial sales, the long-term outcome is often a letdown.

It is hard to control this behavior since it is mostly unconscious and reinforced by the crowd. The primary solution is to remain as objective as possible. When you feel that hype sensation, try to understand the context. Remain stoic toward the over-emotional waves on social media when they glorify a product from the past.

Be human, be informed, and challenge your own memories.