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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).
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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

    • March 29, 2021
    • Harvard Business Review (website)

    Research: A Little Recognition Can Provide a Big Morale Boost

    By: Shibeal O'Flaherty, Michael Sanders and Ashley V. Whillans
    • 2021
    • Faculty Research

    Extension Request Avoidance Increases Time Stress among Women

    By: Ashley V. Whillans, Jaewon Yoon, Aurora Turek and Grant E. Donnelly
    • March 23, 2021
    • Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences

    A Multicountry Perspective on Gender Differences in Time Use During COVID-19

    By: Ashley V. Whillans, Laura M. Giurge and Ayse Yemiscigil (shared authorship)
More from the Authors
  • Research: A Little Recognition Can Provide a Big Morale Boost By: Shibeal O'Flaherty, Michael Sanders and Ashley V. Whillans
  • Extension Request Avoidance Increases Time Stress among Women By: Ashley V. Whillans, Jaewon Yoon, Aurora Turek and Grant E. Donnelly
  • A Multicountry Perspective on Gender Differences in Time Use During COVID-19 By: Ashley V. Whillans, Laura M. Giurge and Ayse Yemiscigil (shared authorship)
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