Ever find yourself dreaming of far-flung adventure or white sandy beaches? Americans spend four years of their life indulging in escapism, according to new research.
From the 22 minutes the average person spends daydreaming each day, to the books, films, and TV we get lost in – a new survey tallied the common times and activities people use to get away from reality, finding that we rack up just under 13 hours of escapism per week.
The study of 2,000 adults across the United States, which was commissioned by global tour operator G Adventures, showed 12 hours 56 minutes of escaping our reality each week comes partly in the form of reading books (1 hour 34 minutes), watching movies (2 hours 37 minutes) and dreaming of vacations (44 minutes).
Other popular forms of escape that trended highly among those surveyed involved exploring new places (56 minutes), listening to music (2 hours 47 minutes) and playing video games (1 hour 29 minutes).
The most common daydream Americans confessed to is the thought of “winning the lottery” (60 percent), followed closely by “going on vacation” (54 percent) or “traveling somewhere exotic” (50 percent).
SWNS
All told, we spend a hefty 44 minutes each week fantasizing about being on vacation or planning the next one. That might be due to the fact that 63 percent of survey respondents say daydreaming about a vacation has helped put their mind “more at ease.”
Whether running errands, commuting or sitting in a long meeting at work – G Adventures’ survey reveals that we also zone out, on average, four times every day. The time of day when we are most likely to daydream? Monday at 1:56 p.m.
When asked what they picture themselves physically doing during a daydream, “relaxing or sleeping” was the top response among busy Americans, at 55 percent. Active escapes also ranked highly, with “traveling” (42 percent) and “sight-seeing” (39 percent) following as the second and third most popular answers.
And while men may be notorious for not paying attention while their partner is speaking, the study shows that women may be just as guilty.
Women surveyed revealed that they are four times as likely to daydream while their spouse is speaking to them as when their boss is speaking. Men, meantime, are only twice as likely to daydream while their spouse is speaking to them, versus when their boss is.
A number of Americans say they worry they spend too much time daydreaming and not enough time doing — nearly a quarter of the survey participants worry they won’t get a chance to indulge enough in real life adventure.
That might be because seven in 10 surveyed admit to struggling to get out of their comfort zone and actually take up new adventures.
“While it’s encouraging to see high numbers of Americans picturing themselves traveling farther and being more adventurous as a form of mental escape, it seems more of us need to stop dreaming and start doing,” said Benjamin Perlo, Managing Director for G Adventures in the U.S. “Travel does take time, money, planning and a bit of courage, but what you gain from getting out of your comfort zone can make a positive difference for you, your family and your friendships, well beyond the last day of vacation.”
Top 10 daydreams
- Winning the lottery
- Going on vacation
- Traveling somewhere exotic
- Sex
- Being on the beach
- Doing something adventurous
- Speaking my mind
- Meeting ‘the one’
- Quitting my job
- Errands that I need to do
Top five moment we’re more likely to start daydreaming
- While watching TV
- While listening to music
- At my desk/place of work
- Browsing on social media
- While driving
Weekly escapism
- Reading books – 1 hour 34 minutes
- Watching movies 2 hours 37 minutes
- Listening to music – 2 hours 47 minutes
- Exploring somewhere new- 56 minutes
- Walking/ exercise – 1 hour 58 minutes
- Researching/considering vacations -44 minutes
- Video gaming – 1 hour 29 minutes
- Meditation/ Yoga – 51 minutes
The math totals of American escapism
12 hours 56 minutes per week = 13 hours
= 52 hours per month
= 624 hours per year
= 37, 440 hours over 60-year adult lifetime (18-78) – 1,560 days = 4.27 years (4 years, 99 days)