I'm no therapist or expert, but I -think- I have some inclination. You admittedly never participated, so don't know what you missed out on. For everyone else,

I'm no therapist or expert, but I -think- I have some inclination. You admittedly never participated, so don't know what you missed out on. For everyone else, in your teens and 20s you're more often complimented, flirted with, hung out with, everything. By your late 20s or so that fades fast. After all, there are new 20 year olds to flirt with. And while it doesn't really register or hurt except when you think about it, when you get a single compliment it makes you miss it all. Probably no different than an old sports star being useful and celebrated again. The only missing link to that theory for me is why young people get hooked on them, too.