The Generation Myth: Why When You're Born Matters Less Than You Think

by Bobby Duffy, Ralph Lister (reader)

We like to define people by when they were born. A top expert explains why we shouldn’t. 

Boomers are narcissists. Millennials are spoiled. Gen Zers are lazy. We assume people born around the same time have basically the same values. It makes for good headlines, but is it true?

Bobby Duffy has spent years studying generational distinctions. In The Generation Myth, he argues that our generational identities are not fixed but fluid, reforming throughout our lives. Based on an analysis of what over three million people really think about homeownership, sex, well-being, and more, Duffy offers a new model for understanding how generations form, how they shape societies, and why generational differences aren’t as sharp as we think.

The Generation Myth is a vital rejoinder to alarmist worries about generational warfare and social decline. The kids are all right, it turns out. Their parents are too. 

Genres: Nonfiction, Sociology, History, Audiobook, Social Science, Adult

Audio CD

First published October 26, 2021

Reviews

[Jeff · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting And Well Documented Read. In this book, Duffy shows that what the media so often (and so lazily) proclaims to be "generational" divides... usually aren't really. Yes, there is a generational component to at least some things, but time period (specifically for that "coming of age" period but also more generally throughout the individual's life) and life progression play equally critical roles, and in many cases *more* critical roles, in showing how a particular group of people generally feel about a given issue. One of the things that makes the book a bit interesting is that even while presenting this much more balanced view of this particular field, Duffy exposes himself as a "climate" alarmist/ extremist, either not knowing about or outright denying similar work to his own in that particular field. (Ie, work showing that even though media lazily points to one thing, there are actually several different things at play and in some cases far more critical to the issue at hand. One work here on that topic similar to Duffy's on this one is Unsettled by Stephen Koonin, released just 6 months or so prior to this book's publication).

Still, this book is truly a remarkable work in its field (at least to someone who is *not* a fellow academic or in that field at all) and seems to be fairly comprehensive in its focus, even as its primary and secondary national emphases are the UK and the US, respectively. It looks at many, many issues from the social to the political and even to the personal, from housing to gender identity and sexual activity to political leanings and many, many more. This is also a fairly well documented text, with its bibliography clocking in at about 32% of the overall text - while not the *highest* I've noted in my work with advanced review copies, easily among the higher echelons there. Very much recommended.

[Umar Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent book that takes apart the superficial stereotyping of generations our culture is riddled with. Where you were born is often more important than when you were born and the generational experience and trends internally differ.

Four big takeaways from Bobby Duffy:

1. A lot of what people view as the negative traits of Gen Z and Millennials is rooted in the fact adulthood is being delayed (mostly due to negative economic factors). Once they set into adult patterns their lives and views tend to be fairly similar to older generations.

2. We are all products of the big events of our times (the great depression, World Wars, economic crashes, pandemics, etc) and these great events have lifelong consequences for those who lived through them during their formative years.

3. The idea that we're in some generational conflict between boomers and younger generations is not only problematic and non-productive, it also has no basis in fact.

4. The truly great change in the West has been the decline of religion which has led to changes in attitudes, identity and behaviors towards sex and gender; but globally these changes may be insignificant as the population of the West declines and the more devout Global South rises. There could be religious revival in the West, which I highly doubt, and there could also be a steep decline in religious observance in the Global South, which I expect.

As a Gen X guy who always hated that term and more identities with Boomers than younger generations I enjoyed this book. I was motivated to read it after listening to interviews of AOC in which she sounds exactly like the New Left of the 1960's in her glowing self-assessment of her generation. We have far more in common than we have things that divide us and it seems like everyone, with the exception of Gen X and Gen Z, is pretty high on their own generation.

[Delaney Wallace · Rating 4 out of 5]

Little bit tough to wade through all the charts and statistics at times but overall superrr interesting read and rly changed my negative opinion of old people (excluding my nana and papa ofc- love y’all always <3)

[Cristian1185]

El mito de las generaciones de Bobby Duffy, investigador social y director de políticas del King`s College de Londres, nos invita a repensar los argumentos que están tras los discursos generacionales que muchas veces enunciamos en diversos contextos sociales en los que interactuamos. Desde memes hasta investigaciones periodísticas, en todo este espectro de mensajes encontramos afirmaciones que no tienen más base que el prejuicio y la desinformación, que si bien a veces solo queda en lo cómico, otras veces provoca tendencias de opinión que perjudica las relaciones entre cohortes, pudiendo dañar la concreción de prácticas de apoyo mutuo que podrían facilitar la resolución de conflictos sociales que al final del día les competen a todos y todas.

El esquema de análisis de Duffy consiste en entrelazar tres factores para comenzar a estudiar fenómenos desde una perspectiva generacional: efectos de periodo, efectos del ciclo vital y efectos de cohorte. Su adecuada relación, en conjunto con el apoyo de otros estudios, encuestas y gráficos presentes en el libro, nos permite introducirnos y comprender de forma inicial fenómenos tales como la participación política, la opinión en temas de sexualidad y género, los cambios medioambientales, entre otros.

Uno de los principales alcances de El mito de las generaciones consiste en reforzar la adecuada búsqueda de información contrastada y fidedigna, con el objetivo de que podamos modelar opiniones argumentadas y fundamentadas que combatan fake news, mentiras y titulares tendenciosos. Es la urgente necesidad de contar con espacios y canales de información serios, a la par de una actitud crítica de las personas al momento de informarse en un mundo saturado de mensajes que de una u otra forma pueden incidir en nuestros discursos y acciones.

Un libro que perfectamente cumple la función de informar acerca de los estudios e investigaciones que están relacionados con el análisis y comprensión de los fenómenos sociales a partir de una mirada generacional e intergeneracional. Un recorrido, que a partir de un lenguaje cercano y amable, nos permite interesarnos en un tema que día a día está presente en nuestras conversaciones, interpelandonos a elevar un poco más la calidad de estas últimas a la luz de la necesidad de combatir la desinformación y la opinión basada simplemente en aspectos personales, camuflada esta última en una suerte de generalizaciones banales y prejuiciosas.

Por último, es necesario comentar que el libro está centrado en encuestas y estudios realizados principalmente en EEUU, Europa del Oeste y en algunos países de Asia. Sin embargo se puede afirmar que algunas de las conclusiones si podrían estar relacionadas con algunos fenómenos que se desarrollan en Chile, esto debido a la cercanía del país con ciertos eventos de periodo que comparte con las regiones señaladas y las características sociales, políticas y económicas que lo perfilan. El texto cuenta con un amplio apartado de citas y referencias al final del libro, que permite continuar indagando en la temática.

[Chris Boutté · Rating 5 out of 5]

Stop reading my review and go get this book right now…But seriously, one of the best books I’ve read, and Bobby Duffy did such an amazing job with this book. I’m a millennial, and all of the feuds between generations drive me nuts. As I get older, I even see myself looking down on Gen Z and wonder what my 13-year-old son will have to deal with in the world and how it’ll be different. We’re all blaming each other, and the reality is, we need to be working together. In this book, Duffy breaks down different topics that are frequent battles between generations such as politics, culture wars, climate change, mental health, and much more. He shows data from throughout the years to prove that things aren’t that much different, but we perceive them to be different. We all have so much in common, and this book really highlights that. I can’t sing this book’s praises enough, and I really do hope a ton of people grab a copy of this book and snap out of the distorted lens we view generation battles through.

[Elaine Ruth Boe · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found the premise of this book--exploring differences across generations and asking if generational categorization is the most helpful lens to understand issues--compelling. I likely would've gotten more out of this book if I'd read it, since Duffy is constantly referring to statistics and charts I had trouble absorbing over audio. Duffy argues there are 3 ways of looking at change around issues and behaviors across time: period effects we all experience like the pandemic, life-cycle effects that happen to people at certain stages of life like going to school and getting married, and cohort effects that are particular to a generation. This was an interesting contextual tool to use in future when approaching generalizations about groups of people.

[Maher Razouk · Rating 5 out of 5]

يبدو بديهياً للغاية أن السعادة يجب أن تكون هدفًا أساسيًا للحياة. حتى الحكومات تنظر إليها بشكل متزايد على أنها جزء من مهامها (ضمان السعادة). على خطى بوتان ، حاولت فرنسا والمملكة المتحدة جعل "السعادة الوطنية الإجمالية" أولوية وطنية ، إلى جانب الناتج المحلي الإجمالي. في عام 2019 ، طورت حكومة نيوزيلندا أول "ميزانية للرفاهية". لدى الإمارات العربية المتحدة الآن وزير مخصص فقط لتنفيذ البرنامج الوطني للسعادة والرفاهية ، وقد عينت المملكة المتحدة "وزيرًا للوِحدَة".

قد تبدو هذه التدخلات الأخيرة بمثابة استجابة منطقية لطموح بشري عميق ومستمر لنكون سعداء - لكن السعي النشط لتحقيق السعادة هو في الواقع تطور حديث نسبيًا. كان القدماء ينظرون إلى المعاناة على أنها حالة طبيعية. استحوذ المؤرخ اليوناني هيرودوت على هذه الفكرة بشكل قاتم في القرن الخامس قبل الميلاد: "لا يوجد رجل في العالم ، سواء هنا أو في أي مكان آخر ، سعيد للغاية لدرجة أنه لا يرغب - مرارًا وتكرارًا - في أن يكون ميتًا "

يتفق المؤرخون بشكل عام على أن فكرة السعادة كحالة عاطفية يمكن بلوغها ، وليست نتيجة مكتسبة من الحياة الفاضلة . تسارعت هذه التغييرات في القرن العشرين ، مع تحسينات في أساسيات الحياة ، مما أتاح مساحة للتركيز العاطفي الأكبر والشعور المتزايد باستحقاق الفرد للسعادة. في عشرينيات القرن الماضي ، بدأت سلسلة من الكتب بالظهور في أمريكا ، تحمل عناوين مثل السعادة خيارك ، وألف طريق إلى السعادة.

في العقود اللاحقة ، ارتبطت السعادة بالنزعة الاستهلاكية المتزايدة وتم إضفاء الطابع الرسمي عليها كوسيلة لبيع المزيد من الأشياء. وضعت الشركات الكبرى مثل ديزني ، بيان مهمتها "إسعاد الناس" ، وحثت شركة كوكا كولا الناس على "تناول مشروب الكولا والابتسامة". أصبحت السعادة أيضًا هدفًا جديدًا للتربية. كان التركيز في السابق على العمل والطاعة ، لكن كتيبات الأبوة والأمومة بدأت بتضمين نصيحة حسنة النية - وإن كانت خاطئة بوضوح - بأن السعادة "ضرورية مثل الطعام". وتعكس هذه التحولات تسارع التقدم البشري في القرنين الماضيين ، فقد تركنا وراءنا آلاف السنين من الكفاف وانتقلنا من البقاء إلى التعبير عن الذات. يأتي هذا مصحوبًا بالجوانب السلبية بالطبع - فالضغط من أجل الشعور بالسعادة يمكن أن يؤدي إلى الإحباط عندما لا تتطابق التوقعات مع الواقع. كان للتوقف المرتعش في تقدم الأجيال تداعيات بعيدة المدى ، بما في ذلك فقدان الأمل في المستقبل بين قطاعات كاملة من المجتمع ، بل أدى أيضاً إلى مأساة الانتحار.

لقد طورنا فهمنا للرضا عن الحياة منذ السبعينيات والثمانينيات ، عندما اقترح علماء النفس أن البشر عالقون في "حلقة مفرغة من المتعة" ، حيث لا يمكن لأي شيء - لا الفوز باليانصيب ولا فقدان أحد الأطراف - تغيير مستويات سعادتنا الفردية بشكل كبير على المدى الطويل ... يبدو هذا التقييم الآن مشكوكًا فيه إلى حد ما. على الرغم من أنه قد يكون هناك خط أساس يميل كل فرد إلى التحليق حوله ، إلا أن مستويات السعادة يمكن أن تتغير نتيجة لما يحدث لنا. ومع ذلك ، تظل السعادة موضوعًا معقدًا وغامضًا ، ولا يزال الكثير من الأمور الخاصة بها ، محل الجدل وغير مبررة. نحن نبحث باستمرار عن إجابات جديدة وبسيطة ، لكنها غالبًا ما تقودنا إلى الضلال.
.
Bobby Duffy
The Generation Myth
Translated By #Maher_Razouk

[Daniel Dowson · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fascinating insight into how generational differences are not what they may seem - and often are simple answers to complex problems.

[Ietrio · Rating 2 out of 5]

cute, i agree with the idea, it should be common sense, nothing special enough to make the book worth buying.

[Maxine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Anyone who has spent even a little time on social media has seen a whole lot of signs suggesting there's a huge battle brewing between the generations - Gen Z is lazy; Millennials are whiners who, if they cut back on the avocado toast, could have it all; Gen X, if you can find anything about them at all, are selfish; and Boomers have ruined, well, everything. The pre-war generations hardly exist except as honorary Boomers.

In The Generation Myth: Why When You're Born Matters Less Than You Think, author Bobby Duffy challenges these myths. He calls them lazy thinking and the equivalent of using astrology to define the generations and he backs it up with plenty of documentation and statistics. Yes, he says that when we are born does have an effect on our attitudes but not as much as other factors like the economy e.g. the 2008 Recession or the country in which you were born e.g. religion has a much great effect on attitudes across generations in the US than in the UK and, of course, our families and disasters like Covid-19.

In fact, according to Duffy, attitudes toward such issues as racism, gay marriage, abortion, immigration, and climate change have changed over a short period of time for both Boomers and Gen X and are now closer to those of Millennials and Gen Z than to the pre-war generations where attitudes have remained flat. This is not to say the Duffy doesn't think generational thinking isn't important. As he says about writing this book:

This is not because I don't see any value in generational thinking but the opposite: it's too important, particularly right now, to be left to these misdirections. Its importance is not because I see an impending, inevitable crisis or all-out generational war, but because we seen to have lost faith in a better future for our current and future generations of young people. That's risky, and in many ways, it sums up the challenge of our world in the wake of Covid-19. An understanding of generations, including what brings us together as much as what separates us, is vital to our response.

A well-documented book about an increasingly important subject given the times we live in but a surprisingly hopeful one and I recommend it highly.

Thanks to Netgalley & Perseus Books for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review

[Daniel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Key take home point: there is far less generational gap than we are told.

Real difference:
1. Young people use more technology.
2. Young people are maturing later. So less sex, fewer marriage, fewer cars, fewer houses.
3. Young people have more debt and less wealth.

No difference:
1. Climate change concerns
2. Taxation and social support

Difference because of stage of life:
1. Liberal when young, conservative when older
2. Risk taking when young, risk averse when older
3. Poorer when young, more wealthy when older

It’s a good book but just way too long. I struggled to read it for many months.

[Lance Eaton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Duffy's the argument that I've been thirsting for. He takes a solid crack at the often-tepid, reductive, and wildly over-abused generational-differences discourse around Silent-Gen through Generation Z (or whatever we're calling this group). He illustrates how these approaches do harm to understanding generational experiences (which, of course, are not universal and should not be the means for HR training and the like) and stress more understanding of how life spans play out in similar ways across generations but often at different collective times. Much of the reasons for these differences are not grounded in innate elements of each generation or age cohort but rather in what is happening in the larger cultural space. Generations all go through similar challenges but may experience them at different times in their lives because of historical forces. So millennials may have been driving less in the late 2000s but that is as much an impact of the economic downturn of the late 2000s limiting their resources to own and maintain a car than it was an active choice. These kinds of observations are the bread and butter of the book--helping to challenge the assumptions that are routinely touted in the popular press. In fact, Duffy does a lot to show that variation across the generations is less than variation within a generation and I think that's one of the book's most poignant points that can help us think differently about how we conceive of different age cohorts in society. Beyond that, he spends a good chunk of the book exploring different areas that we typically associate with the difference among generations (gender, sex, politics, consumer habits, religion, etc) to reveal different data points and unpacks what it really means when there are differences. It's a solid book for anyone who wants to think more clearly and usefully about what it means to engage with and understand different age cohorts in a way that isn't reductive but increases one's curiosity to understand the individuals of such a cohort more.

[Mary · Rating 3 out of 5]

Duffy responds explicitly to other generational researchers like Jean Twenge by arguing that most of what we think about with generational differences are almost like horoscopes that amplify the differences between us just when we need to work together. Take, in one of his examples, climate change. Yes, there are young people like Greta Thunberg involved, but so are such grey-haired voices like Al Gore (76) and David Attenborough (98), and the generations all must coordinate together to create real change.

Duffy repeatedly talks about how what we think of as "generational differences" are actually three distinct things:

1- Period effect. These are usually the big things that affect everyone. For example, the Great Depression made you more likely to be frugal whether you were a parent or a child during the 19030s.
2- Life-cycle effect. Young people are perennially considered lazy, impulsive, and disrespectful. Then, as they get older, they become stereotyped as overly cautious, traditional, curmudgeonly. The cycle continues for literally thousands of years.
3- Cohort effect. This is what people want generational difference to mean. It's looking at something distinct about a group born at the same time that persists throughout time and life-cycle. So for instance, Boomers who grew up with the boom in exotic yoga, may continue thinking of it as counter-cultural, while Millennials see it as just another flavor of corporate workout on the menu.

These things all impact each other For example, the Millennials and Baby Boomers were a large cohort, but Gen X is relatively small, so large generations have an outsized influence on culture as they go through their life cycle. Baby Boomers made the 60s and 70s feel like culture was all about youthful rebellion, the 1980s and 90s about economic growth and stability, and make the 2010s and 2020s news focus on retirement schemes, as they go through the century like an elephant through a snake, while Gen X suffers from middle-child cultural neglect.

[Robin · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have always loved hearing about generational differences, and this book is all about that. The main focus is to give facts and charts about how certain "generations" are the same or different, as they move from one time-of-life stage to the next. We hear all these over-generalizations in the news about Gen Y being one way, Boomers being another, Gen X (my generation, who nobody seems to ever talk about!), and these Gen Z kids who are doing everything differently. I think the focus of this book is that we are all really similar based on stage-of-life, but as "adulthood" has shifted to later and life expectancy is higher, we are all doing things like getting married, having kids, buying homes later and we can see the similarities and differences in these different cohorts throughout the book. This book also reports on differences in how each group has felt about social issues over time. This book did highlight the differences in the US vs. UK and other countries as well and that was kind of surprising to me--especially the differences in the way people in different European countries embrace religion. The Generation Myth took me awhile to read because I had it in book vs. kindle format and I tend to forget to read non-kindle books--I'm not sure why. Anyway, if you like this kind of thing, it reads more like a textbook but is recommended.

[Melanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm technically an Xennial, and some Gen Xers are like you either are Gen X or you aren't. I think Duffy does great job of explaining why we should not stereotype people from the generation they are born. I'm so tired of seeing Karen and Boomer memes. I think there are great people from each generation, bad examples of people from each generation, and the majority just trying to survive or make some sense in this crazy world. I don't think it casting people into their what they should be because of their generation really caught my awareness until this past decade. We have been taught that we shouldn't stereotype yet we are willing to stereotype people into generational groups. Just seeing reactions in a GenX group about the 2022 Super Bowl Half Time Show shows that we are not the same. I do think this book would have been better to read on paper and not audio, but the narrators voice was excellent. Honestly, right now more people need to read this book.

How did I find this book? It was a recommendation from CloudLibrary.

[Samantha · Rating 3 out of 5]

I get really tired of generation talk. To paraphrase Roxane Gay, it's cyclical and boring. So I was looking forward to a book that said what connects us is far greater than what divides us. In short, it says the big differences lie in us being young versus old rather than when we're born. You think certain things when you're young, then different things when you're older. So it's not really what generation you're a part of, but more where you're at in life.

A swath of the book doesn't really bear the weight of that framing though. The latter half focuses very much on generational differences around things like climate change, acceptance of LGBTQ diversity, etc. In the end, it lands on the notion that we're different in some ways, and the same in some ways. Which is not really ground breaking. Interesting to see the charts though, and how attitudes among the generations basically follow the same trajectory.

[Shana Yates · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well-written and insightful book. Manages to take some complex questions, as well as nuanced statistical analysis and interpretation, and distill the information clearly with thought-provoking results. Rightfully points out that people often use generations the same way we use zodiac signs -- that is, as trite and general statements utterly unhinged from reality. But then highlights what you can actually learn from generational analysis. Not the main thrust of the book, but what I found most striking was the author's repurposing of H. L. Mencken's observation that for every complex problem, there is an answer that is clear, simple, and wrong. And how we often use generations and pointing to an obvious thing as the reason for that generation going wrong, and how that is almost always a faulty assumption and oversimplification. Would be worthwhile for policy-makers to read these kinds of books before deploying knee-jerk simple fixes to societal problems.

[Scott · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Generation Myth: Why When You're Born Matters Less Than You Think by Bobby Duffy is a ‘well written’ account of misconceptions around generations. You can’t lump everyone into the same bucket just because they were born around the same time. Anyway that was the premise. Clearly a lot of effort and research went into writing this book. I just could not make the connection. Duffy would go to great lengths to explain why all ‘Millennials’ are a certain way, and they say that the data does not substantiate the hypothesis. The synopsis of the book is that it really does not matter. People are people, pure and simple. So, it is not right to call all Boomers narcissist or Millennials as being spoiled or Gen Zers as being lazy. The truth is that everyone is narcissist or spoiled or lazy. And there you have it.

[Rosemary · Rating 4 out of 5]

I learned a lot about the current generations; pre-war, baby boomers, generation X, millennials, generation Z. I learned that we tend to lean on stereotypes when we should be more discerning. I liked the framework of looking at the interplay of 3 determinants of society change; cohort (generation), life-cycle (where you are in life) and period (events such as COVID). I liked the statistics and graphs, and I found the text very friendly. I only had to look up one term in the dictionary. I will look for more recent writings of this author to see how he thinks COVID has affected each generation since the book was published in 2021.

[Dora Okeyo · Rating 4 out of 5]

How I wish I could slam this book into the hands of everyone I know who goes "this generation..." or "in our generation..." or "millennials are lazy..." because with his findings and he shares insights that it's not all that, rather we have different skill sets, different ways of how we relate to the environment and all that is not sufficient enough to lump one generation against another.
Thanks Netgalley for the eARC.

[Lee Barry · Rating 3 out of 5]

In many ways, the counterpoint/rebuttal to The Fourth Turning: What the Cycles of History Tell Us about America's Next Rendezvous with Destiny

[Peggy McCoy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was full of fascinating graphs showing differences (and likenesses) of generational behavior and opinions. I found the political opinions rather disturbing, a lot of my baby boomer cohort has become rabid anti- vaxxers and anti-maskers, huh people? I appreciated the idea that generations change as they age, so sensible!

[Tim Gordon · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed Duffy's analytical view, pointing out that, while it's fun for the media to blame whole swaths of people, it doesn't reflect reality.

Nothing is quite as bad as you think. Or at least not as bad as some would have you believe.

Which might make the book less of a blood boiling entertainment rush, but I'll take calm analysis over outrage pretty much any day.

[Lisa Hoppe · Rating 4 out of 5]

This has always been a fascinating subject to me and I was a little surprised by how much I have played in to the stereotypes. I never do quite as well with nonfiction so the relentless statistics got a little much for me, although I understand their importance.

[perth dirtbag · Rating 4 out of 5]

Repetitive and a little boring if you're not into sociology. I was intrigued by the analysis of conservatism being generational. It's for sure opened my eyes to what my generation will evolve to be in the eyes of future generations.

[Thomas Beard · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great and important book. Every book that helps cut through the bullshit of our media ecosystems is vital, and this one plays a special role.

[S. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thoughtful and engaging--it definitely challenged my own biases. (If you're the kind of person that likes to blame Boomers for everything, you oughta pick up this book.)

[Jonathan Jakobitz · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Generation Myth provides a much-needed popular level critique of cohort stereotypes.

[Tracey]

It was interesting, but made me depressed

[Roy Kenagy]

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