Dougal Sutherland: The benefits of 'dreamscrolling'

Saturday Morning with Jack Tame

A new phenomenon has emerged: dreamscrolling.

The opposite of doomscrolling, dreamscrolling has people looking at dream purchases or things they’d one day like to own – houses being a common choice.

It even seems to have some benefits when done in the workplace, both to those doing it, and the organisation.

Dougal Sutherland reveals a couple of the key benefits it can have:

- Dreamscrolling gives us that little psychological “hit” of joy, even if it’s about something imaginary! When we fantasize about the “what-if” it’s like, for a moment, we’re living our best life in that dream house – and it feels good.

- Overseas research has shown that dream scrolling can help some people with financial planning as it serves to motivate and inspire them to actively save for, or invest in, that thing they’re dreaming about. So it can help motivate us and change our behaviour for the future.

- At a time when many of us might be feeling a bit down in the dumps, particularly if you live in Wellington or work for the government, it’s probably not surprising that a good chunk of dreamscrolling happens at work. That might not be a bad thing though as the boost in positive mood you get can flow through to how you engage with your work and people around you. And it’s certainly better than doomscrolling!

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