What a western Pennsylvania ’90s style Pizza Hut reveals about nostalgia

According to The Conversation, a Pizza Hut in western Pennsylvania has become an unexpected cultural landmark by preserving its nineteen-nineties look—complete with faded murals of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and New Kids on the Block—even as hundreds of other locations have closed. Marketing researcher Jeff Galak of Carnegie Mellon University explains what's really happening. People aren't actually wishing they could return to the nineties. What makes this place compelling is the emotional weight of memories attached to it—birthday parties, family dinners, time with people they cared about. Galak's research shows that when something carries sentimental value, we keep caring about it long after its practical appeal fades. He also notes that rising loneliness in society may amplify this. Nostalgic places, he suggests, symbolically reconnect us with relationships that once made us feel less alone.

Listen to this story

Hear this and more stories in a personalized audio briefing.

Open The Chonkerton