America’s “perfect day” includes three hours of movies or TV, a nap and at least an hour with pets, according to new research.
That’s the findings of a survey of 2,000 Americans which pinpointed exactly how they’d spend an ideal 24 hours and found the average person thinks they experienced 12 perfect days in 2024.
Respondents were asked to allocate 24 hours across various categories to compile their ideal day. Results showed the perfect day includes seven hours of sleep (6.9), with people waking up at 7:48 a.m.
Conducted by Talker Research, the survey showed that Americans want to spend two hours of a perfect day eating, three hours of quality time with family and one and a half hours being on their phones.
Around one and a half hours (84 minutes) would be dedicated to hobbies and a similar amount of time hanging out with friends.
A Flourish chartNo perfect day is complete without a bit of music and respondents want 1.3 hours of their favorite tunes, with 48 minutes dedicated to exercise or working out and the same (48 minutes) enjoying some shopping.
At some point in their perfect day, Americans say they’d want to fit in a nap of around 40 minutes, and they’d end the perfect day by going to bed at a reasonable hour, with 11 p.m. named the ideal bedtime on average.
But does the concept of a perfect day exist? When asked if they felt they’d experienced any perfect days in 2024, the average respondent had enjoyed 12 (12.6).
And there’s optimism ahead: The average person anticipates they’ll have 16 perfect days in 2025 – that’s one every 22 days.
And while chasing “perfect” days may be unrealistic, Vickie Petz Kasper, a board-certified lifestyle medicine physician and host of “Healthy Looks Great on You” podcast, has encouragement for those looking to add more joy and contentment to their days:
- Tap into activities that foster meaning and purpose in life – Volunteering for a worthwhile cause brings fulfillment. Pursuing knowledge and learning skills and hobbies to create inspiration for others is personally satisfying.
- Cultivate expectation – Participating in hobbies that have anticipated results adds joy to the moment and hope for the future. Planting a seed in expectation of a harvest or hooking a piece of yarn in expectation of a scarf yields something that brings joy and can be shared with others.
- Enjoy beauty for the sake of beauty – Seeing beauty around us helps take the focus off ourselves and the imperfections of our world. Look up at the night sky or take in the sunset to appreciate nature. Beauty is also found in diverse arts such as music, sculpture, poetry, or painting.
- Connection with others – We need each other. Loneliness has been declared an epidemic, and it has serious consequences on health. When you connect with others, even briefly, you get a feel-good surge of oxytocin. All of the previously mentioned suggestions can promote connection too. Join a group, hike with others, or take a class. People are starving for connection, and connection isn’t always easy, but it’s always worth it.
