10 Things Gen Z Finds Unappealing About The Personality Of Boomers & Gen X
shurkin_son / ShutterstockGen Z seems to have a particularly hard time relating to people from older generations, especially Baby Boomers and Gen X.
A lot of it comes down to the stark differences in how each generation was raised and how they choose to communicate with each other. Gen Z often paints the traits they associate with boomers and Gen X with overly broad strokes (and vice versa).
While Gen Z often claims to feel seriously misunderstood, many also have a problem when it comes to finding empathy for older people who don't share their opinions and behaviors.
Gen Z people usually thinks these things are pretty unappealing about the personality of boomers and Gen X:
1. Their emphasis on respecting your elders
Gen Z dislikes the way boomers and Gen X place an emphasis on needing to respect elders and people in authority. They find it especially frustrating when this importance is stressed while also ignoring the fact that respect is earned.
A Gallup study found that 62% of Gen Z just want their parents and other older adults to listen to them. When they don't feel heard, it's hard to show them the respect they deserve. Of course, that doesn't mean they are constantly disrespectful, but it does mean they aren't likely to show respect if it's not given to them in return.
2. Their resistance to emotional vulnerability
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A lot of the time, boomers and Gen X struggle with being emotionally open. They grew up in a time when vulnerability wasn't praised as it is now for Gen Z. Instead, boomers and Gen X learned that the best way to get through life is to keep things close to their chests at all times.
That attitude ends up frustrating Gen Z, because their generation preaches the importance of never letting things fester. They believe that being emotionally open makes connecting with people easier, and Gen Z is all about forming meaningful and healthy bonds.
3. Their 'work hard no matter what' mindset
Boomers and Gen X tend to be the face of hustle culture. They tend to believe that the reason Gen Z isn't getting far with their careers is that they're lazy, so much so that many companies are refusing to hire recent college grads and aren't giving Gen Z a chance to prove themselves.
Gen Z finds it deeply unappealing when they hear from boomers and Gen X that work should be their main focus, even if it means neglecting their personal lives and sacrificing their mental health in the process as well.
4. Their dismissiveness towards digital culture
Most Gen Zers tend to spend at least 60% to 80% of their time on social media. These spaces are no longer a way to post occasional updates, as they have become more of a place where they connect with people who share their interests.
Social media is such an important part of their daily lives that Gen Z grows resentful of how boomers and Gen X can be so dismissive of its value. They don't appreciate knowing that these older folks think they are simply wasting their time.
5. Their preference for rigid life goals
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For many boomers and Gen Xers, the pinnacle of life is getting married and having children. But for Gen Z, those traditional goals don't hold the same kind of appeal. Most Gen Zers are not totally convinced that the traditional way of life that might've worked for boomers and Gen X will work for them.
Instead, they are choosing to prioritize their own happiness and interests. They're traveling, spending money, nurturing their inner circle of friends, and meeting new people along the way. It can be frustrating when they hear older generations complain that they're not living life the way they should when they believe they are doing just fine.
6. Their resistance to changing routines
Gen Z is all about trying new things and changing up their routine. It can be boring for them to just keep doing the same things day after day. But they see boomers and Gen Xers as relying heavily on their routines and sometimes having strong resistance to change and evolution.
That can be an area where they clash with Gen Z because of how determined they are to change some of the traditional aspects of this society. They don't ever want things to stay the same because it means they'll never improve, while boomers and Gen Xers are more than content with the way things are.
7. Their lack of tolerance for ambiguity
Gen Z thinks that people in older generations, especially boomers and Gen X, have a hard time accepting that some questions can have multiple answers and not everything is straightforward.
Rather than being comfortable with uncertainty, boomers and Gen X tend to push for an explanation. But from Gen Z's perspective, that can make them feel frustrated because they believe that beauty sometimes lies in things not being black-and-white.
8. The way they take jokes too literally
From the perspective of Gen Z, boomers and Gen X too often take humor at face value instead of seeing things as the joke that was intended.
Gen Z enjoys using irony and absurdist anti-humor when telling jokes, which can make it hard to actually connect with boomers and Gen X, who they believe take things too literally. Older generations tend to be used to humor that is much more straightforward, so it can be hard for them to actually laugh when Gen Zers are trying to be humorous.
9. Strict views on identity and self-expression
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Gen Z believes that older generations are much more traditional about acceptable identities and lifestyle choices, as they don't always understand that many things exist on a spectrum.
Gen Z tends to embrace anyone who wants to practice self-expression. They see themselves as never judging and never criticizing. It's because they are so much more open to people living in their own authentic truth. But older generations are used to things being a certain way from when they were growing up, and it's hard for them to shake that perception.
10. Their skepticism about mental health concerns
A major problem between boomers and Gen X when it comes to their relationship with Gen Z is the fact that they're not as open to mental health concerns. They find that Gen Z's emphasis on boundaries and on not working until they've burnt out is ridiculous, and that this ends up creating even more of a gap between them.
Gen Z has totally normalized and transformed the mental health space and is so much more open to having these discussions. But older generations don't always believe the things Gen Z tends to say about mental health, and that can come off as deeply invalidating.
Nia Tipton is a staff writer with a bachelor's degree in creative writing and journalism who covers news and lifestyle topics that focus on psychology, relationships, and the human experience.
