You're listening to Brains On, where we're serious about being curious.
These are words often associated with Generation Alpha.
Generation Alpha is the name given to people who are born after 2010.
So people like me, and maybe you too.
Not me.
People my age are called millennials.
We say things like YOLO and adulting.
Generations aren't just about the language you use.
They're supposed to help others understand what people your age have been through.
Because, like, let's say your grandparents just grew up in a very different time.
And you can talk to them about what it was like when they were children.
That's a generational difference.
And if you can ask them about their experience, then you might understand them better.
But do they always help us understand each other?
Coming up.
We're going to learn about the generations alive today and how they're different from each other.
Plus, what if you really don't feel like you're part of your generation?
No matter your age, you'll learn something cool.
Stick around.
You might never know who made your dinner table or your tennis racket or your car, but you definitely know who made this podcast.
Hi, it's us.
Me, Sandon, Molly, and Mark.
We made it.
And when you join Smarty Pass, you're supporting us directly so we can keep answering your questions and doing things like finding cool animal facts.
Did you know koalas are marsupials and not bears?
Pretty cool.
And calling scientists.
Hey, scientists, you rock.
Bye.
Bye.
Bye.
Bye.
Bye.
You're listening to Brains On.
I'm Molly Bloom, and my co-host today is Paige from Naperville, Illinois.
Hi, Paige.
Hi.
So, Paige, you asked us a question about generations.
Yeah, I asked, why are generations made for people?
A generation can mean a couple different things.
One meaning of a generation can be specific to your family.
So each link in the chain of your family history is a different generation.
Like you, represent a generation.
Your parents are the generation before you.
Your grandparents are two generations before you.
Your great-grandparents are three generations before you.
And on and on, all the way back to the beginnings of humans.
But the generations I was curious about, those are something else.
They're large groups of millions of people, all born roughly in the same 15-year period.
These are often called social generations.
So Paige, what made you curious about this?
I was looking up on my phone because I heard about the new Generation Beta and I was just wondering why and how they made these.
Very, very cool.
So how do you feel about being part of Generation Alpha?
I don't know how they're like different from each other.
I just feel like I don't know how to feel about that, because it's kind of like I feel as part of the generation because of the year I'm born.
So do you think generations are like a useful thing to talk about?
I feel like yeah, because it's like help us like understand like each other and how like different we are from each other.
Well, to help us dig into your question, we called up an expert.
My name is Jean Twenge.
I am the author of the book Generations.
I'm also a professor of psychology at San Diego State University.
Jean studies generations.
And she says social generations help us see the ways we are different from those who came before us.
So if you think about your grandparents, smartphones didn't exist when they were your age.
And so their childhood and their adolescence was different.
And that's just one example.
So what are the major generations alive in the U.S. today?
Let's get to know them.
Meet the generations, the baby boomers.
Your grandparents might be baby boomers.
Here's Jean again.
So baby boomers born about 1946 to 1964.
It's a generation that's very large.
That's where they get their name from.
A baby boom means there was a huge giant jump in the number of babies born in a period of time.
A boom, if you will.
From the late 1940s to the mid-1960s in the U.S., things were pretty good for a lot of people.
It was pretty easy to go to college, then get a good job.
Houses were affordable.
This made a lot of people want to start big families.
So a lot of babies were born.
Hence the baby boom.
So they really dominated the culture at every single time point.
They were hippies and they protested for civil rights and against war in the 1960s.
They got a lot of attention for trying new ways of living in the 1970s.
In the 1980s and 1990s, many settled down and became big spenders.
They started families.
A lot of baby boomers are retiring.
And for the first time in a very long time, they are not having as much influence as they used to.
So then there's Gen X.
That's those born from 1965 to 1979.
The name refers to the fact that this generation was against a lot of traditional values around money and fitting into society.
They put an X through all that stuff.
Sometimes they got labeled as slackers.
They are also one of the last generations where everyone pretty much watched the same things and heard the same music.
They are known as the last generation to have a unified pop culture experience.
So they love their Star Wars.
They love their Saturday morning cartoons.
So if your parents at Gen X are asking what they did on weekends when they were growing up, they'll be able to tell you all about Saturday morning cartoons and having a lot of freedom to ride around on their bikes.
You know the show Stranger Things?
Those are Gen X kids.
The Millennials Millennials born 1980 to 1994 grew up in a time of a lot of optimism during the 1990s are known for being optimistic, although not as optimistic as they used to be.
This is me, my generation.
The name comes from the fact that these people became adults around the turn of the millennium, the late 90s and the early 2000s.
We grew up without smartphones or the internet, but those things became a big part of our lives when we were in late high school or college.
At the time, people were pretty excited about all the good technology could bring.
And your generation lived through some tough times for the economy too, which might be why you're not as optimistic as you were when you were younger.
Fair.
Next, we have Generation Z. Gen Z.
Gen Z, born 1995 to 2009 first generation to spend their entire adolescence in the age of the smartphone.
These are people in late high school or maybe just about to reach their 30s.
They've grown up around screens and social media and they're pretty comfortable with how that technology works.
But they've seen the downsides of it, too.
So far, they're the most racially and ethnically diverse generation of grownups ever seen in the US, And they've been known to put a lot of value on balancing work with having a life outside of their jobs.
Next is Generation Alpha.
Born 2010 to who knows when.
Known for Skivity Toilet.
Geez, I hope that's not all we're known for.
Don't worry, there's plenty of time to redefine who you all are.
So, Paige, what do you think people should know about your generation?
I think that we're not all just like, all like the new trends and stuff, and that we're also just like people too.
Yeah, that's a really good way to look at it.
So there is one more generation, a very new one.
Some researchers say that last year a new generation started, Generation Beta.
They're just little tykes at the moment, but who knows?
Maybe in a few years, a member of Generation Beta will be listening to this podcast.
Hi from the past.
So, Paige, any advice to future Gen Beta kids listening?
Uh, good luck.
Very, very fair.
Before we move on, it's time to tackle a challenge for the ages.
It's the...
Paige, are you ready for the mystery sound?
Yeah.
All right.
Here it is.
Hmm.
What do you think, Paige?
I feel like it sounded at the beginning.
It sounded like one of like those like tools for like the things that like put nails in like that.
The screwdriver or like like a drill.
Yeah.
Yeah.
The drill.
Yes.
But like at the end, it sounded like a car moving away.
So I feel like it's like maybe one of like in like a electrical or like car like something.
Oh, nice.
Yeah, it sounded like it faded out for sure.
So like it feels like it's like moving away from us.
Yeah, I have no idea.
Maybe like someone doing like a snare drum roll in a marching band walking away from us.
Maybe.
I don't know.
Well, we'll hear it again and get another chance to guess and hear the answer at the end of the show.
Stay with us.
We are doing an episode on the science of baseball.
And baseball has some pretty great chants and cheers.
But you know what is severely lacking in that department?
Science.
Let's fix that.
Send us your idea for a science-based game day chant or cheer.
Something short and sweet.
Like, science, science, you're the best.
Put ideas to the test.
Record your chant and send it to us at brainson.org slash contact.
You can also send us mystery sounds, questions, or just tell us a great science joke you heard.
We can't wait to hear from you.
Again, brainson.org slash contact.
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Molly the millennial here.
With Paige, a true Gen Alpha kid.
Millennial, boomer, Gen Alpha, ever wonder what's with those names?
Uh, yeah, I have.
Who came up with them, and why aren't they better?
Turns out there's no one person, or even a group of people, who names the generations.
People start out using all kinds of names for a generation until one just sort of sticks.
Yeah, journalists started using the name Baby Boomer in the 1960s.
It was catchy.
The name Generation X was around for a while, but it didn't stick until 1991, when a guy named Douglas Copeland wrote a book about 90s youth called Generation X Tales for an Accelerated Culture.
What comes after X?
Y, of course.
Millennials were called Generation Y for a while...
But eventually people switched to millennials.
So the name Generation Z makes more sense when you realize that came after what was supposed to be Generation Y but were later called millennials.
Gen Z are also called Zoomers or just Gen Z And alpha is just another way of saying A.
So Gen Alpha is just the alphabet starting over again.
Kind of boring if you ask me.
I agree.
We can definitely do better.
That's why we asked all of you to tell us what you'd name your generation.
And here's what you came up with.
I would call my generation Fluctua, because kids fluctuate fluctuate in how they behave, act and grow.
I think the new name would be twinkle, twinkle little star, because it's a funny name that i don't think i would say like a hundred times a day.
And i would call my generation generation gamer, because we play games on our nintendo.
We also play, Sorry.
If I got to choose a new name for my generation, which is Generation Alpha, I would name it Gen Tech, because I feel like a lot of tech is evolving and starting to become popular in this generation.
My name for our generation is Generation Together.
You know what?
Let's call it Generation Brains On.
Yeah.
Sounds like a lot of responsibility, but I can get behind Generation Brains on.
Shout out to Will, Itzel, Nolan, Mindy, Julian, and Miguel for those fabulous ideas.
Paige, what would you call your generation if you could rename it?
I would say generation, probably just A, because it kind of sounds a little weird if it's like alpha, if it doesn't follow the Z, And I haven't really heard
The Zoomers for Generation C. Yeah.
Yeah, I think that sounds good.
Yeah, because we don't really have a Generation A. Yeah.
It just went right to Alpha.
It's like a little odd.
Yeah, it is a little odd.
So not all names for generations are positive.
For a while, people were calling millennials the Me Generation, because they thought we were obsessed with ourselves and entitled.
We did take a lot of selfies.
Gen alpha has been called the glass generation, because we spend a lot of time on screens, but also because some people think we are emotionally fragile like a glass window that breaks easily.
Every young generation has been labeled something usually not nice by older generations.
That's Corey Seamiller.
She also studies generations.
She says a lot of times our ideas about generations are based in stereotypes.
Stereotypes are when you make a big statement about a whole group of people.
It's a label that doesn't always reflect reality.
One side, it's important to understand that there is something maybe behind that label, right?
We saw this with Generation Z, where people were saying Generation Z are lazy, right?
And that's a stereotype that's not helpful and that's not very nice, because that's not necessarily the case with a lot of people in that generation.
Right.
Corey says Generation Z is actually a pretty cautious generation.
They take their time making important decisions.
So to someone else that may seem like they're doing nothing or being lazy, but really they're thinking over their options to pick the best path forward.
Yeah.
And that's actually a positive thing.
Also, any research about generations is based on averages.
They're trying to paint a picture of a huge group of people by looking at what is most common.
But when you do that, you miss out on a lot of the ways that people in a generation are different too.
If you grew up in a big city versus out in the country, you probably have some different views of the world.
Generational research might miss that.
So if you hear people talking about Gen Alpha, always doing this or saying that it's totally normal, if you think Hey, that doesn't sound like me.
I'm my own person.
Totally.
Molly, is there a skeleton at the studio door?
Knock, knock.
May I come in?
Oh, hi, Mr. Bonejangles, the walking, talking skeleton that lives at Brains on Headquarters.
You forgot to mention tap dancing.
Watch the fancy femur work.
Whoops, dropped a rib.
Better put that back in.
Nobody look.
Impressive for a bunch of bones.
Why, thank you.
But alas, I've come not to dance, but to ponder.
Because I heard you talking about generations, and it made me wonder, what generation am I?
Well, we can figure that out.
When were you born?
That's the thing.
I have no idea.
I've done a skeleton of research and can't seem to find any record of my birth.
And I can't remember it because I have brain rot.
You mean you talk in memes?
What?
Who is meme?
My brain literally rotted away.
There were maggots.
I am a skeleton, you know.
Truthfully, I never used it much anyway.
Well, maybe we can figure it out based on your earliest memories.
What technology was big when you were young?
Oh, when I was baby bone jingles, I used my own teeth as a rattle.
I remember back then, screens were all the rage.
That's helpful.
Were they TV screens or smartphones?
Window screens.
They let the air in and kept the bugs out.
Amazing technology.
Hmm.
I don't know if we're going to figure this out right now.
I'm sorry.
Ack.
Alas.
Woe is moi.
I'm all a bone in the world.
No generation to belong to.
I'll just go skulk in a dark hallway.
Goodbye.
Goodbye.
Let's hit pause on our generation conversation and check out the mailbag.
Okay, let's see what's in the mailbag today.
Ooh, here's a letter from Max from Carlsbad, California.
It says, Hi, Brains On.
Hi, Molly, Mark, Sandin, and Gangador?
I don't know how to spell his name.
Okay, pause for a second.
Max, Gungador is spelled G-U-N-G-A-D-O-R.
So if anyone else wants to write mail to Gungador, that's how it's spelled.
Okay, back to the letter.
I have a question.
How and why do we give organisms scientific names and what's the scoop on taxonomy?
Max, I love this question so much.
We actually have an awesome piece about taxonomy in our episode about the brontosaurus.
It involves Carl Linnaeus' ghost.
I advise you to go check it out.
It's super, super fun.
That's the brontosaurus episode.
Okay, back to the letter.
I hope I can get featured on your episode.
Hooray, Max, you're on this episode.
Okay, I also have a suggestion for your HQ, an animal photo booth.
It's like a regular photo booth, but for animals other than us.
I hope you can build that as soon as you see this letter.
And if you do, send me some silly mammal photos.
Okay, Max, we are on it.
Okay, back to Max's letter.
I can't wait for an adventure with you, but my mom's calling me to get off the iPad.
Seriously.
Hopefully see you soon, Max.
P.S.
And then there's Morse code.
Okay, I'm going to put that through my little Morse code machine right here.
Oh, Max, that is a really awesome message.
I'm not going to give it away in case people want to try to figure it out.
But thank you, Max.
Thank you for writing.
And thank you for that message.
Want Brains On without the interruptions?
Just join Smarty Pass.
You'll get ad-free versions of all of our shows plus bonus episodes.
Go to SmartyPass.org to sign up.
Thanks.
Hey, Molly and Paige back in the studio.
So now we know the major generations.
The Baby Boomers, Generation X, Millennials, Gen Z, and Generation Alpha.
So why does it help us to group people into these categories?
I think it can be very useful because it gives you kind of a broad view of how the country's changing.
That's Kim Parker.
She works for a group called the Pew Research Center.
They study how people feel about the world.
And they've been studying different generations for a while.
So the trickiest thing about generations is that it's not just another word for age.
Age is a really interesting way to understand public opinion and public behaviors, because people really differ in those things by age.
But part of that is just because they're young versus middle-aged versus old.
It's not because they're part of this unique group that we're calling a generation.
Right.
Some differences between generations just have to do with the fact that they're different ages.
Here's an example.
Older people might feel like taxes are the worst.
Taxes again?
Why?
And younger people might think they're no big deal.
Dad, it's cool to pay your share to help the community.
Chill.
Now, is that difference because these generations have different feelings about paying taxes?
Or do people feel fine about taxes when they're young, but mad about them when they're older and they have to pay more?
It's a really important distinction to make, because sometimes people will just look at a group of young people and be like they're acting a certain way or they have a certain set of beliefs.
It might just be because they're young.
It doesn't necessarily mean it's because they're part of this group that shares certain things in common.
So how do we figure out how people are changing over time?
We asked them.
Yeah.
Groups like the Pew Research Center, colleges and universities, even the government.
They've been asking questions about how people see the world for a long time.
They'll give young people a long list of questions about all sorts of things.
How do you feel about politics?
How often do you see your friends?
When was the last time you called your mom?
Are you happy?
Do you rent or own?
How many dogs?
Is enough dogs?
Do you generally feel good about the future?
And then, when they have answers from lots and lots of people, they can see what the most common responses are and compare that with how older generations answered those same questions when they were young.
As you might expect, one of the biggest changes lately is around technology.
Young people today are spending more time on screens than older generations did.
They're also spending less time hanging out with friends in person.
This is different from how past generations lived.
Researchers are curious to see how this will play out as those kids get older.
And how will they find out?
More research.
Molly!
Paige!
I found the skull-lution to my problem!
You remembered when you were born?
Negativo.
Instead, I decided to make up my bone generation.
Meet Generation Boo.
Generation Boo?
Rolls off the tongue, doesn't it?
That's not rhetorical.
I am genuinely asking.
I don't have a tongue.
I have no idea if it does.
But yes, it's a generation for all us creepy creatures that may have been alive since time immemorial.
Dracula, Frankenstein's monster, that wig in your grandmother's closet.
That smells like Aquanet and chicken soup.
We're all Jen Boo.
Oh, I'm so happy for you.
Must feel nice to finally have a click.
It is.
We're known for loving a good scare, having a good sense of humorous and, of course, loving screen time.
That's when we open up all the windows and let the breeze in through our screens.
We know how to have fun.
In fact, I'm off to do that now.
Ta-ta!
They often share similar life experiences and will sometimes have similar views of the world.
But generations are based on averages, so even within any generation there are a lot of differences.
Sometimes people use generations to make stereotypes or make claims about a whole group of people, but that can be hurtful and unhelpful.
And it's important to remember that generations are groups of individuals and everyone is unique.
That's it for this episode of Brains On.
This episode was written by Sienna Totten, edited by me, Molly Bloom, and sound designed by Mark Sanchez and Rachel Brees.
Special thanks to Stephanie Hennigy, and we had engineering help from Tsavo Walker.
All right, Paige, are you ready to go back to that mystery sound?
Yeah.
All right, here it is.
What do you think?
I'm still kind of stuck on the drill idea.
I don't know what else it would be.
Wait, but maybe if it's race car tracing or when they're going to a pit stop and they're drilling on the tires and it's going away.
Oh, love that idea.
That's really great.
Yeah, I'm with you.
I think that's a fabulous guess.
Should we hear the answer?
Yeah.
Okay, here is the answer.
Hello, my name is Skye and I'm from Niskanen, New York.
That was the sound of a springy doorstop.
So a springy doorstop.
I did not.
I would not think of that.
Okay, but now we know, if we're ever making a movie and we need the sound of a race car or a drill, we can just use a springy doorstop.
Yes.
And do our sound effects.
I love it.
That was tricky.
Yeah.
Nice work, Skye.
You stumped us.
Now it's time for the Brain's Honor Roll.
These are the incredible kids who keep the show going with their questions ideas, mystery sounds, drawings and high fives.
Lucy from Social Circle, Georgia.
Olive, Emma, and Annie from Minneapolis.
Charlie from Lakewood, Ohio.
Rami from Takora, New Zealand.
Marlo and Adley from Los Angeles.
Laura from Minneapolis.
Audrey from Calgary.
Kendrickson Karaji from Carson, California.
Casselly from Washington, Utah.
Adeline, Niall, Evan, and Luke from Lethbridge, Alberta.
Alex and Chelsea from Portland, Oregon.
Ray from Shoreham by Sea, England.
Mara from Columbia, South Carolina.
Amelia from Springfield, Illinois.
Aria from Melbourne, Australia.
Milan from Miami.
Cassian from Greensboro, North Carolina.
Titus from Alexandria, Louisiana.
Lauren from Green Isle, Minnesota.
Lulu from Madison, Tennessee.
Sophia from Salem, New York.
Tempe from Ontario.
Aubrey from Easley, South Carolina.
Adomas from Carrick on Shannon, Ireland.
Kennaway from Toronto, Everett from Northbrook, Illinois, Razi and Jacob from New York City, Lydia from Washington, Eve from Champlain, Minnesota, Warren from Houston, Texas, Max from Muskegon, Michigan, Jacob and Ben from Spanish Fork, Utah, Abigail from Raleigh, North Carolina, Delphine from Milan, Italy, Alan from Louisville, Louie and Ari from Tacoma, Washington, Hamish from Queensland, Australia, Camilla from Houston, Layla and Elijah from Portsmouth, Virginia,
Thank you.
Ellery from Hong Kong, Marcus from San Raymond California, Tallulah from Los Angeles, Ayo from Malaney Australia, Yusuf and Faye from Kuwait City, Quinn from Oswego, New York, Elijah from Vancouver and Violet from Sebastopol, California.
We'll be back next week with another episode of Brains On.
Thanks for listening.
