<description>&lt;p&gt;Scroll through enough retro photos or vintage ads, and it’s easy to convince yourself that life used to be simpler, even happier. But why does the past look better the farther away it gets?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Host Megan McArdle unpacks how nostalgia distorts our view of history — from the food people ate to the cost of everyday life — and why forgetting the hardships can shape how we think about the present.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"&gt;Subscribe to The Washington Post&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;a href="https://subscribe.washingtonpost.com/acquisition/?s_l=OFFSITE_PODCAST&amp;amp;p=s_v&amp;amp;s_dt=yearly&amp;amp;utm%5B%E2%80%A6%5De-podcast&amp;amp;utm_medium=acq-nat&amp;amp;utm_campaign=podcast-subs" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); color: rgb(17, 85, 204);"&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;&lt;span style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"&gt;.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description>

Scroll through enough retro photos or vintage ads, and it’s easy to convince yourself that life used to be simpler, even happier. But why does the past look better the farther away it gets?



Host Megan McArdle unpacks how nostalgia distorts our view of history — from the food people ate to the cost of everyday life — and why forgetting the hardships can shape how we think about the present.

Reasonably Optimistic

Longing for 'simpler times'? Consider this first.

Longing for 'simpler times'? Consider this first.

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