What is dreamscrolling and why are most people doing it?

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Psst. Close that browser window about your dream house or vacation and get back to work.

You’re not alone, though.

A new study reveals that the average American spends nearly 2½ hours a day “dreamscrolling” or looking at dream purchases or things they’d like to one day own.

According to the study by Empower, a financial services company, Americans are spending an average of 2.5 hours a day – or 873 hours a year – dreamscrolling on the phone or computer.

Half of the 2,000 respondents to the study said they dreamscroll while at work and of those, 1 in 5 admit to spending between three to four hours a day multitasking while on the job.

Age makes a difference

Gen Z’ers spent the most time dreamscrolling at a little more than three hours per day, while Boomers spend the least, or about an hour.

The majority of those who responded, or 71%, however, said that dreamscrolling is time well spent because it motivates them to reach their financial goals.

“People see dreamscrolling as one way they’re investing in themselves and envisioning what they want out of life – whether that’s when they want to retire, their dream home or next vacation,” said Rebecca Rickert, head of communications at Empower.

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Here’s some more insights from the study:

More than half (56%) of the recipients have dream purchases left open in tabs and windows or saved in shopping carts. Those respondents estimate it would cost about $86,593.40 to afford everything they currently have saved.
Overall, 34% say they’ve purchased fewer things on their dream list than they should at their age, with Millennials feeling the most behind (39%). Some of the main reasons holding them back are rising prices (54%), inability to save money (29%) and growing debt (21%).
More than 2 in 5 respondents say they dreamscroll more when the economy is uncertain (43%).
Roughly half of the respondents say they’re spending more time dreamscrolling now than in years past (45%) and plan on buying something off their dream list this year (56%).
The top dreamscrolling items are clothing, shoes and accessories (49%) followed by gadgets and technology (30%) and home décor or furniture (29%). One in five respondents are looking at homes or apartments (21%), nearly a quarter search for vacation spots (25%) while 23% look for beauty or self-care products and 19% are shopping for their furry family members.
While 65% are optimistic they’ll some day be able to buy everything on their dream list, nearly 1 in 4, or 23%, say they don’t think they’ll ever be able to afford the majority of the items.

dreamscrolling people