People love to set goals for the new year. AI knows which resolutions are trending for 2022—and none of them are focused on weight loss.

The last few years have been rough. Despite everything that’s happened, people continue to look at the new year with optimism. We set goals for ourselves. We plan ahead. Everyone hopes that we can make the next 365 days better than the last. 

Of course, there are some common New Year’s resolutions—such as quitting smoking or losing weight. But, a person can resolve to change any area of their life. We decided to dig into data and learn how consumers actually want to improve their lives, beyond the stereotypical resolution narratives that are forced upon us every holiday season. 

So, what did Shutterstock.AI find in the data? This year’s resolution trends have self-care themes. They even offer a glimpse at how the next 365 days really will be better, starting on January 1st.

People Are Prioritizing Mental Health

Over the last decade especially, there has been a huge movement to destigmatize how we discuss and address mental health. More so, since the pandemic began, medical professionals have noted a large increase in reported mental health cases among their patients.

With both of these things happening simultaneously, it’s no wonder AI found that people are engaging with content that depicts self-care. 

In fact, imagery and videos depicting sleep are among some of the most clickable today. The click-through rate (CTR) of images showing people sleeping has gone up 29% since this time last year. Along with that, the CTR of images showing napping has skyrocketed 108% over the same time period. 

The CTR of pet imagery has gone up 83% this year. And, while ginger kitties may share one braincell, they remain the cutest.Images via Dragon Images, Alena Ozerova, Albina Gavrilovic, and wavebreakmedia.

Relaxation is key, too. This could look like getting outside and spending time in nature. Since this time last year, nature imagery has risen 13% in clickability. 

Relaxation could also look like going to a spa. Self-care themed imagery is on the rise. The CTR of images and videos showing massages have gone up 10% this year. The CTR of hot tubs has gone up 111% over the same period.

Resolve to take care of yourself in 2022.Images via N K, Mladen Zivkovic, Elizaveta Galitckaia, and Lucky Business.

People Want Plant-Based Diets

Plant-based diets are more popular than ever . . . and this also extends to the realm of food photography. AI tells us that fruits, vegetables, and non-meat proteins are most popular with consumers. 

What does this look like, in general? For starters, fruit tends to be the most clickable food in this category. It’s 16% more engaging than vegetables. Fruits like strawberries and blueberries consistently rank among the most clickable. 

That being said, vegetables are still highly engaging with audiences. The top veggies that make the most clickable plates are . . .

Sweet potatoes (CTR up 113% since 2020)Lettuce (CTR up 52% since 2020)Avocados (CTR steady for the past two years)Salads (CTR up 280% this year)

Non-meat proteins are in. Beans have a 66% higher CTR this year. And yogurt has a 38% higher CTR. Images via Brent Hofacker, Tukhfatullina Anna, New Africa, S_L, and Timolina.

Along with eating plant-based diets, younger generations are cutting out alcohol and soda. This is in line with what AI reports, as it found soda’s clickability decreased 5% this year.

In turn, a variety of healthier beverages have seen their engagement levels rise. Juice’s clickability has gone up 47%. Smoothies have seen their clickability go up 14%. Water has even risen 42% in clickability in 2021. 

For the record, coffee is 32% more clickable than tea. Images via New Africa, fizkes, Maridav, Wichai Sittipan, and wriemis.

Hygiene Is Hitting a High Note

Hand hygiene has become top-of-mind for most people. Beyond us obsessive hand-washers, however, AI has noticed an uptick in engagement rates for content depicting cleaning, bathing, and general hygienic practices. 

Since the beginning of the pandemic through the rise and fall of the Delta variant wave, hand-washing imagery has remained consistently engaging. In fact, imagery of soap itself—pumps or bars—have also maintained high engagement rates over the last two years.

Knowing this, it makes sense that the CTR of bathtubs has gone up 47%. While showers are also clickable, bathtubs are still 38% more engaging.  

This bathtub trend has been observed across the entire Shutterstock.AI data set, as well as for specific industries. Images via Maridav, Alena Ozerova, Halfpoint, and Merla.

Staying with this “keeping clean during COVID-19” theme, masks are more clickable today, as well. In fact, the clickability of content including masks is up 306% right now, in comparison to this time last year. 

Mask up and keep those pearly whites clean! Images via Victoria Chudinova, Africa Studio, Krakenimages.com, and Inna Reznik.

And, when focusing on the face, consumers also care about oral health. AI has observed that the clickability of toothpaste has gone up. Interestingly, toothpaste is 47% more clickable than toothbrushes. So, if your creative focus is oral care, be sure to include a dollop of paste on top of your brush.

Cover image via New Africa.

The post The Clickiest 2022 New Year’s Resolutions, According to Data appeared first on The Shutterstock Blog.

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