Family Memory Research Report
Published 9/28/26
“At the death and anniversary of the death of a loved one, pictures have been a source of comfort, peace, and healing as we remember the joy and essence of the person we love.”
In 2025, we set out to understand what family photos actually do for the people who keep them. We surveyed 15,273 families about how they capture, print, and return to their memories — and what came back was bigger than we expected. Families didn't just talk about connection. They talked about grief, resilience, and knowing who they are.
This is what 15,273 families taught us about printed memories, healing, and the love that lasts.
A note from our founders
We started Chatbooks because we loved looking at family photos with our kids. It made us feel closer, even when we couldn’t quite say why.
In 2019, working with HP, we shared research that helped put a name to that feeling: families told us printed photos strengthen their connection. 15,591 families said looking at prints together brought them closer.
Six years later, we asked again, this time surveying 15,273 Chatbooks families. Connection is still as true as ever. But something new came through: families told us printed memories help them heal, feel ready for what’s ahead, and remember who they are.
Our mission has always been to strengthen families. We hope this research inspires you to keep bringing photos into your everyday life.
Nate and Vanessa Quigley
Chatbooks co-founders
96%
feel a stronger connection when reminiscing
92%
see photos as essential to their sense of self
86%
said photos moved them from sadness toward gratitude
64%
recalled a time family memories helped them through something hard
How we studied this
We took two passes at this. First, in-depth interviews with families across multiple states and countries. Then, a quantitative online survey of Chatbooks customers, built on what we heard in those conversations. The survey looked at how families share memories and how that connects to their resilience, using established resilience measures alongside questions shaped by the interviews. Responses were multiple choice or on a rating scale.
The 2025 Chatbooks Family Memory Report surveyed 15,273 Chatbooks customer families between August 27 and October 31, 2025, beginning with subscribers who had printed six or more books. Respondents were 96.7% women, with a median age of 38; 74.4% are parents of children ages 0–17. This study builds on the 2019 Printed Photo Impact Study, conducted by Chatbooks and HP with 15,591 families, in which families reported that looking at printed photos brings them closer.
One honest note: this is a survey of Chatbooks customers, so the findings describe memory-keeping families and are directional for that group. They aren’t meant to represent the U.S. population as a whole.
Key findings
What surprised us, in the best way
In 2019, the story was connection. In 2025, connection still holds. This time we also asked about healing, resilience, and identity, and they emerged as strong themes.
1
Even in hard seasons, families said photos help turn sadness into gratitude.
When the 2025 Chatbooks Family Memory Report asked families to describe a time family memories helped them cope, 70% of the stories families shared centered on death, loss, and grief, and what they described next was healing. 86% of surveyed families said looking at photos moved them from sadness toward gratitude.
2
Families said memories help them feel ready for what’s next.
64% of surveyed Chatbooks families could recall a specific time family memories helped them through something hard, and 62% said shared memories make them feel more confident about handling future challenges.
3
Photos have become proof of who we are.
92% of surveyed Chatbooks families see photos as essential to their sense of self, and 85% said shared family memories give them a sense of personal identity.
4
Families are choosing permanence, on purpose.
79% of surveyed Chatbooks families print partly because digital storage feels fragile, and 83% worry about losing family memories and histories as older generations pass away.
5
They’re capturing childhood, and grandparents, while they can.
52% of surveyed Chatbooks families mentioned children "growing too fast," and 1 in 4 brought up aging grandparents or family members.
6
Connection is still nearly universal, and it’s joyful.
96% of surveyed Chatbooks families feel a stronger connection when reminiscing, and 73% look at photo books together at least monthly. That’s the 2019 through-line, still true.
When the survey asked families to describe how memories helped them through hard times, it didn't prompt for loss — but loss is what families brought.
1 · Healing & gratitude
A bridge from hard days back to love
When the survey asked families to describe how memories helped them through hard times, it didn't prompt for loss — but loss is what families brought. More than 70% of the open-ended responses centered on death, loss, and grief. Then families described what photos gave back: closeness, comfort, and gratitude for how someone lived.
91%
reported feeling closer to loved ones through photos
86%
said photos shifted their focus from sadness toward gratitude
73%
found comfort in photos after losing someone they love
“Since losing our son, it hasn’t been easy to find moments of real joy… Looking through the photos, I’m reminded of the warmth, laughter, and peace we felt together at the beach. Having them printed and within reach helps bring us back to that place when the heaviness returns—a gentle reminder that joy still exists alongside the grief.”
Healing · Parent
“Looking at our little photo book of my two boys together brings both tears and comfort—it allows us to remember Miles’ smile, his laugh, and the light he brought into our family. These images give us a way to keep talking about him… and to show his brother that love never disappears.”
Healing · Child
2 · Healing & gratitude
“We’ve done hard things before.”
Shared memories don’t just comfort after the fact. Families connected shared memories with greater confidence about what comes next.
How memories help families face what’s next
Family memories helped them through a challenge
64%
Feel more confident about handling future challenges
62%
Pointed to evidence of past strength
69%
“We’ve learned that we can survive something unimaginable, and that knowledge quietly shapes how we move through everything else. Grief has taught us patience, empathy, and the importance of holding on to hope even in darkness.”
“When looking at photos of my husband before and after cancer and major surgeries, we feel more grateful and strong—strong enough to tackle anything that comes our way. When we look at photos of my daughter with her EEG hat on, we feel thankful of how far she’s come since then.”
3 · Identity
Not just memories. Who we are.
Families described photos as proof of belonging, of motherhood, of growth, of legacy. Landmarks that say: you were here, you are loved, this is your story.
92%
view photos as essential to their sense of self
89%
said shared memories give them a sense of belonging
82%
of parents hope their children feel deeply loved when they look at photos of themselves
“Photos aren’t just memories. They’re identity markers. Emotional landmarks. Proof I was here, evolving.”
“They help us tell our story with warmth and gratitude, honoring both the joy we’ve shared and the loss we’ve carried. In many ways, our photos are the threads that weave our family’s memories into something lasting and beautiful.”
4 · Permanence
Choosing what lasts, on purpose
Digital abundance came with a quiet worry: that the photos might not always be there. Families are answering it deliberately — by printing.
Why families are choosing print
Printed photos help share their family’s story with their children
97%
Worry about losing family histories as older generations pass
83%
Want physical, holdable memories
81%
Print partly because digital storage feels fragile
79%
Increased how much they print because of fear of digital loss
28%
“I find looking at photos after losing a loved one is particularly helpful because it allows you to focus on who they were as they lived more so than the void their loss creates.”
5 · Presence
Holding on to the season while it’s still happening
Families aren’t only printing out of worry. They’re choosing to slow down, keep childhood close, and give grandparents a seat at everyday life, even from far away.
68%
print to keep faraway family part of the story
52%
mentioned children “growing too fast”
44%
said their memory-keeping habits changed in the past five years
1 in 4
brought up aging grandparents or family members
31% of surveyed families cited having children as the catalyst that changed their approach to memory keeping.
“I hope she feels loved. I hope she looks at every picture and knows how much love I felt for her in that moment and how much joy it brings me to see those pictures now.”
6 · Connection · 2019 → 2025
Families still report stronger connection through printed photos
In 2019, families told us printed photos bring them closer. In 2025, they said the same, nearly universally.
96%
feel a stronger connection to family when reminiscing
91%
feel photos strengthen family bonds
73%
look at photo books together at least monthly
“My kids love looking through photos and asking questions—learning about our history, people they’ve never met, remembering funny stories that shape who they are.”
“It also allows me to show her lots of pictures of family members who have passed and feel like she knows their faces and stories as well.”
Then & now
Building on the 2019 Printed Photo Impact Study
In 2019, families told us printed photos bring them closer. In 2025, they said the same, nearly universally.
2019
Printed Photo Impact Study
The story was connection.
Chatbooks and HP surveyed 15,591 families. Families reported that looking at printed photos strengthened closeness, sparked conversation, and helped kids feel loved and known.
2025
Family Memory Research
Connection held. We also explored healing and identity.
96% of surveyed Chatbooks families still feel a stronger connection when reminiscing. 64% say memories helped them through a challenge, and 86% describe photos turning hard moments toward gratitude.
In their words
What families told us
“Losing our son has helped us to learn that grief and joy can coexist, even feed each other.”
“My brother got a digital frame for my father when my mom died. Dad picked 350 photos… It runs 24/7 and it has been such a comfort to me since losing my dad and mom. I feel like they are with me every day.”
“My brother and my sister-in-law recently passed away unexpectedly, and I pulled out a photo book of our sibling trip to a lake last summer. We laughed at all of the moments… and cried over them as well. I will cherish that album always.”
“Right now it helps to keep in mind all of the positive and joyful memories we are making in the midst of grief and struggle… hang on to the joy we are able to find even still.”
Questions this research answers
*Data cited from the 2025 Chatbooks Family Memory Report, a two-phase study of qualitative interviews and a quantitative survey of 15,273 Chatbooks customer families, conducted August 27 to October 31, 2025. Findings are directional for memory-keeping families and do not represent the U.S. population as a whole.*
