Almost 1 in 3 Brits turn to social media for a daily dose of positivity with animal content leaving us smiling the most

• New research from Sky Mobile unveils the importance of tuning into uplifting posts online for that all important mood boost, with Brits spending on average two hours daily seeking out positive content

• Animal videos and memes (23%) have been revealed as the most smile-inducing social media content, with bedtime proving the most popular time to get an uplift

• 35% of Brits have unfollowed a social media account which doesn’t lift their mood

• Sky Mobile has worked with positive psychology expert, Vanessa King, to understand how positive and uplifting online content can help improve our psychological wellbeing

23^rd June 2022, London: To mark the start of summer, new research from Sky Mobile, a Which? recommended mobile network provider, has revealed nearly one in three Brits turn to social media for a daily positivity boost (31%), with animal videos and memes (23%) and random acts of kindness posts (21%) the most smile-inducing content we view as a nation.

The study of over 2,000 British adults found that over half of us (56%) love to use our smartphones to seek out uplifting content, and nearly half (45%) agree that when they view positive stories and inspiring posts online, it increases their mood for the day.

The findings have prompted Sky Mobile to team up with Vanessa King, an expert on positive psychology, and board member at Action for Happiness, to explore Brits’ habits online and how they can use their phones to easily access cheerful content 24/7.

#Positivity
Alongside animal content and random acts of kindness posts, other popular types of social media content that people view most include light-hearted ‘when things go wrong’ videos (16%) and travel or holiday pictures/videos (15%).

The nation also seeks comfort in the past to lift their mood too, with childhood TV clips (11%) and nostalgic British pop culture content (11%) both inspiring our sentimental sides and making the top ten.

People most commonly seek out positive content online by watching short funny clips or videos (30%) or memes (17%) and bolster their wellbeing by connecting with family and friends (29%) too.

“What we consume online impacts how we feel” comments Vanessa, “Even small positive mood boosts can make a difference. And these don’t just feel good, science shows these can add up – for example helping us be more open to others, more flexible in our thinking, better at creative problem solving.”

Positivity on the go
It’s no secret that Brits turn to their handsets several times a day for a quick check on the latest social media updates as part of their daily routines. And it’s the end of the day that proves to be the sweet spot, with bedtime (14%) being the most popular time to tune in for a positivity boost, followed by before getting up in the morning (10%).

People spend on average two hours each day seeking out positive content, increasing to almost four hours for those aged 16-24. While Gen Z will visit TikTok as their go-to for uplifting content (42%), the 55+ age bracket are more likely to head to Facebook (70%).

When it comes to spreading the positivity, 19% will send posts to their friends or family directly or tag a friend (15%), doing so to make them laugh (43%) and spread the same mood boost they felt (30%).

Vanessa King adds: “Connecting constructively with people we care about and doing kind things for others are important for everyone’s happiness and wellbeing. Showing we are thinking of others and sharing positive content online that we think loved ones will enjoy or find uplifting contributes to this.”

It was further revealed that one in four scroll across different social media channels until they find something they’re interested in, compared to nearly 20% of people going to the same social media source they know will lift their mood. And it doesn’t stop there, with over a third (35%) admitting they would unfollow social media accounts which don’t lift their mood.

Commenting on the findings, Paul Sweeney, Managing Director, Sky Mobile, said: “With more than half of us using our phones daily to see positive and uplifting content, Sky Mobile is here to help you easily tap into your rolled over data to access the latest memes, humorous videos and more 24/7.”

“It’s important we’re aware of how social media impacts our mood and manage what we access. We of course need to keep in touch with what’s happening in the world around us, and it’s encouraging to see that Sky Mobile’s research shows that over half (52%) agree that listening to positive individuals on social media makes a difference to our psychological wellbeing,” Vanessa concludes. “What’s great is that there are plenty of practical resources packed with ideas for happier living, such as those freely available from Action for Happiness, to help people boost psychological wellbeing.”

Unlike other networks, Sky Mobile rolls your spare data every month so you can tap into your unused data to continue enjoying your daily dose of uplifting content and spread the positive mood boost by sharing with friends and family.

For more details on Sky Mobile visit sky.com/mobile.

Notes to editors

Research conducted by Opinion Matters 1^st – 6^th June 2022 with 2,009 Nationally Representative UK adults.

The top 10 things that make us smile or give us a positive mood boost when on social media include:

1. Animal videos/memes (23%)
2. Random acts of kindness posts (21%)
3. Light-hearted ‘when things go wrong’ videos (16%)
4. Travel or holiday pictures/videos (15%)
5. Cute/funny baby videos (14%)
6. Comedians sharing snippets of content (13%)
7. Food pictures/videos (12%)
8. Childhood TV clips (11%)
9. Inspiring or motivational quotes or mantras (11%)
10. Nostalgic British pop culture content (11%)

Sky Mobile network benefits at a glance:

Sky Mobile is a Which? Recommended provider status and winner of Best Value network in the 2022 Choose Awards. Unlike other network providers, Sky Mobile lets customers keep all their data for up to three years. Every month any spare data rolls into your Piggybank ready for you to use later or share with family. Spare data can be shared with up to 7 SIMs on the account or can be exchanged for rewards, like accessories or money off a new phone. Sky Mobile offers the UK’s cheapest annual data plan¹ with up to twice as much data for half the price², compared to the big networks.

• Roll – Sky Mobile rolls your spare data for up to three years, so you can keep hold of what you’ve paid for
• Piggybank – Share spare data in your Sky Piggybank with up to seven SIMs on your account or exchange it for rewards
• Mix – Change data plans whenever suits your needs, make your plan bigger if you need more data, or smaller if you want to spend less
• Watch – Stream hours and hours of live sports, the best shows, and kids’ favourites without using your data
• Swap – Upgrade to a shiny new phone anytime you like and save money when you swap your old one
• Text to Switch – Simply text PAC to 65075 to get your switching code. We’ll take care of the rest

About Sky
Sky is Europe’s leading media and entertainment company and is proud to be part of Comcast Corporation, a global media and technology company that connects people to moments that matter. Across six countries, Sky connects 23 million customers to the best entertainment, sports, news, arts and to our own award-winning original content.

Following the launch of Sky Glass, we now offer customers our strongest ever line-up of products and services. As well as the new streaming TV with Sky inside and everything integrated, customers can enjoy the award-winning Sky Q with all your favourite channels and apps in one place, and with Sky Go you can now access an even better experience on your devices. Sky TV has new channels, new shows and new deals with Peacock, Paramount+ and more. Sky Mobile was voted Best Pay Monthly and Best Value Pay Monthly network by Uswitch, and with Sky Broadband we’re offering our fastest speeds yet.

Building on the success of Sky Originals like Chernobyl, Gangs of London and Brassic, we are doubling our investment in original content by 2024 through Sky Studios. Our new TV and movie studio, Sky Studios Elstree, is expected to create over 2,000 new jobs and generate an additional £3 billion of production investment in the UK over the first five years alone. Sky News provides impartial and trustworthy journalism for free, Sky Arts is the UK’s only dedicated free-to-air arts channel making the arts accessible for everyone and Sky Sports, our leading sports broadcasting service, brings customers some of the biggest and best global sporting events from the Premier League to Formula 1 and everything in-between. Sky Cinema is the home of Sky Original films with brand new films launching every month alongside an unrivalled range of the latest cinema releases and on demand library.

We believe that we can be a force for good in the communities in which we operate. We’re committed to being Europe’s first net zero carbon entertainment company by 2030 and we’re proud to be a Principal Partner and Media Partner of COP26 – the UN Climate Change Conference. We take pride in our approach to diversity and inclusion: we’ve been recognised by The Times and Stonewall for our commitment to diversity, and we’ve set ambitious 2025 targets to continue to increase diversity and representation. We’re also committed to investing £30million across our markets over the next three years to improve our approach to diversity and inclusion, and to tackle racial injustice.

¹ UK’s cheapest 12-month data plan amongst major networks Comparing our 2GB for £6 data plan against standard pricing available by buying directly from major networks; defined as those with more than 5% market-share as verified by Feb ’22 Prius report. For new customers taking a pay monthly 12-month plan directly with no upfront costs. Independently verified by FDM on behalf of Sky Mobile on 13/04/22. See sky.com/comparison for details.

²Twice as much data for half the price: Sky Mobile (2GB for £6) compared to O2 and Vodafone (1GB for £12)