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Publications
Publications
  • August 8, 2017
  • Article
  • Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences

Buying Time Promotes Happiness

By: Ashley V. Whillans, Elizabeth W. Dunn, Paul Smeets, Rene Bekkers and Michael I. Norton
  • Format:Print
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Abstract

Around the world, increases in wealth have produced an unintended consequence: a rising sense of time scarcity. We provide evidence that using money to buy time can provide a buffer against this time famine, thereby promoting happiness. Using large, diverse samples from the United States, Canada, Denmark, and the Netherlands (n = 6,271), we show that individuals who spend money on time-saving services report greater life satisfaction. A field experiment provides causal evidence that working adults report greater happiness after spending money on a time-saving purchase than on a material purchase. Together, these results suggest that using money to buy time can protect people from the detrimental effects of time pressure on life satisfaction.

Keywords

Time; Well-being; Money; Happiness; Satisfaction

Citation

Whillans, Ashley V., Elizabeth W. Dunn, Paul Smeets, Rene Bekkers, and Michael I. Norton. "Buying Time Promotes Happiness." Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 114, no. 32 (August 8, 2017). (Ranked in the top 100 most talked about articles across science in 2017 (Almetric).)
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About The Authors

Ashley V. Whillans

Negotiation, Organizations & Markets
→More Publications

Michael I. Norton

Negotiation, Organizations & Markets
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More from the Authors

    • December 2022
    • Current Directions in Psychological Science

    The Emotional Rewards of Prosocial Spending Are Robust and Replicable in Large Samples

    By: Lara B. Aknin, Elizabeth W. Dunn and Ashley V. Whillans
    • November 2022
    • Psychological Science

    Opportunity Neglect: An Aversion to Low-probability Gains

    By: Emily Prinsloo, Kate Barasz, Leslie K. John and Michael I. Norton
    • October 17, 2022
    • Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences

    Relational Diversity in Social Portfolios Predicts Well-Being

    By: Hanne K. Collins, Serena F. Hagerty, Jordi Quoidbach, Michael I. Norton and Alison Wood Brooks
More from the Authors
  • The Emotional Rewards of Prosocial Spending Are Robust and Replicable in Large Samples By: Lara B. Aknin, Elizabeth W. Dunn and Ashley V. Whillans
  • Opportunity Neglect: An Aversion to Low-probability Gains By: Emily Prinsloo, Kate Barasz, Leslie K. John and Michael I. Norton
  • Relational Diversity in Social Portfolios Predicts Well-Being By: Hanne K. Collins, Serena F. Hagerty, Jordi Quoidbach, Michael I. Norton and Alison Wood Brooks
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