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Imagine this…
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You’re scrolling through your Facebook feed when you see your uncle’s latest post.
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“Kids today have no respect. Back in MY day, we listened to our elders!”
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You roll your eyes. An avid news-watcher, he posts stuff like this at least twice a week, including but not limited to:
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“Society is going to hell in a handbasket.”
“The economy’s getting worse every year!”
“Nobody wants to work anymore.”

“But… maybe he’s right?” you think as you instantly remember how a stranger didn’t hold the door open for you last week, so it slammed in your face.
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Later that day, you grab coffee with your friend who teaches high school.
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“How’s the second half of the school year going?” you ask.
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She sighs dramatically and places her latte down with a little more force than necessary. “These kids are so much ruder than when I started teaching 10 years ago. I swear, every year it gets worse.”
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You nod sympathetically, sipping your cappuccino.
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But then you remember something…
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Your friend said the same thing last year. And the year before that.
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Actually, she’s been saying it every year she’s been teaching.
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​Why does everyone feel like things are constantly getting worse?​
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In today’s edition of Why We Buy 🧠 we’ll explore Declinism—why we believe the past is better and the present or future is grim.
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​Let’s get into it.

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🧠 The Psychology of Declinism

Researchers looked at perceptions of morality across 70 years of survey data from over 12 million people globally.
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In the US alone, they analyzed responses from over 220,000 Americans and found most believed morality was declining—a pattern that held true across 59 other countries.
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But when people rated how moral others are in real, day-to-day life (via questions like “Were you treated with respect all day yesterday?”), those ratings stayed stable over time.
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So in reality… the “moral decline” exists only in people’s heads, not in their actual experiences.

Your brain doesn’t store memories like a video camera.
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Instead, over time, you forget the crappy parts of past experiences and inflate the good parts. Behavioral scientists call this rosy retrospection.
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And since your brain is hardwired to spot threats, news stories that paint a bleak reality hook you fast. Then you gravitate toward information that confirms things are “worse.”
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For marketers, this means your customers walk around believing quality has declined, customer service has gotten worse, and “they simply don’t make things like they used to.”

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🤑 How To Apply This

Alright, so how can you apply this right now to sell more?
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Content marketing​
Puncture the myth that a past method is superior

Slack published a blog post titled “Is email dying as a business communication channel?” that acknowledged email’s reign in business communication for decades.
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But instead of letting customers totally romanticize “the way we’ve always done it,” Slack created a pros and cons list, highlighting the annoyances people conveniently forget about using email.
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Y’know—things like crowded inboxes, constant distractions, and messages that create more confusion than clarity.

By acknowledging email’s pros while pointing out the frustrations people actually experience (but memory has whitewashed), Slack smoothly cuts through the idea that email is the best communication option for your biz.

Consumer goods​
Position your brand as a gateway to the good ol’ days

Coca-Cola sells more than brown sugar water. They sell nostalgia for a “simpler time.”
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A time when families gathered around the dinner table, summers were savored, and life just moved… slower.
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So their campaigns consistently feature vintage colors and imagery, classic glass bottles, and taglines like “Taste the Feeling” that evoke those cherished memories. (Even though those days were actually far from perfect.)

By positioning Coke as a bridge to the beloved past, they make customers feel like they’re reclaiming something precious that’s been lost.

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E-commerce​
Show how you’re fixing what’s “wrong” instead of offering something new

Mrs. Meyer’s Clean Day exploits a specific belief: cleaning products have gotten worse.
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While grandma’s cleaners were simple, natural, and effective, today’s are full of unpronounceable chemicals that irritate skin and harm the planet.
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So Mrs. Meyer’s bottles—with their old-timey label designs and garden-inspired scents—signal a return to what cleaning used to be.

The message isn’t “try this new dish soap” it’s “get back what modern cleaning stole from you.”

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💥 The Short of It

Declinism makes people—including your customers—believe the past was better and the present or future lowkey sucks.
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To combat this in your marketing, you can show how your product is a bridge back to what customers believe they’ve lost or reveal the hassles their rose-tinted memories have hidden.
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Either way, acknowledge the feeling. Because whether it’s based on reality or not, Declinism is very real in your customers’ minds.
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And what’s in their minds often determines what ends up in their carts.
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​​Until next time, happy selling!