Sorry to be the one to tell you this, but your friends are jerks. Or at least 36% of them are.
According to a new survey looking at the role of social media in Americans’ travel habits, 36% of the survey’s 2,000 respondents admitted that they put on a show for social media just to convince friends their lives are picture perfect. Meanwhile, 14% of respondents said that it’s “very important” to have people on social media know they are living their best life.
It works, too: People feel jealous over 891 travel photos every year, leading the average American to aspirationally check flight prices and deals at least once a week in the hopes that they, too, can fly to some scenic destination, snap a beach selfie, and make someone else jealous. It’s a vicious circle of FOMO.
The survey, conducted by OnePoll on behalf of Travelex, showed that Americans spend over 113 hours every year thinking about being on a beach or getting away from the daily routine. Still, Americans are generally pretty bad at taking vacations (even though vacations can make you better at your job), opting instead to spend their time at the office ogling other people’s vacation pics on Instagram, making them chronically sleep deprived, and even more in need of a break.
When people do manage to set their “out of office” email alert and hit the road, there are benefits. According to Travelex’s survey:
- 71% of respondents said they smile more on vacation
- 69 % said they laugh
- 71% said they feel less stressed
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