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  • October 2020
  • Article
  • Nature Human Behaviour

Why Time Poverty Matters for Individuals, Organisations, and Nations

By: Laura Giurge, Ashley V. Whillans and Colin West
  • Format:Print
  • | Pages:11
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Abstract

Over the last two decades, global wealth has risen. Yet, material affluence has not translated into time affluence. Instead, most people today report feeling persistently “time poor”—like they have too many things to do and not enough time to do them. This is critical because time poverty is linked to lower well-being, physical health, and productivity. For example, in our analysis of 2.5 million Americans, subjective feelings of time poverty had a stronger negative effect on well-being than being unemployed. However, individuals, organisations, and policymakers often overlook the pernicious effects of time poverty. Billions of dollars are spent each year to alleviate material poverty, while time poverty is often ignored or exacerbated. In this Perspective, we discuss the organisational, institutional, and psychological factors that explain why time poverty is often under appreciated. We argue that scientists, policymakers, and organisational leaders need to devote more attention and resources toward understanding and reducing time poverty to promote psychological and economic well-being.

Keywords

Time Poverty; Health; Well-being; Human Needs; Global Range

Citation

Giurge, Laura, Ashley V. Whillans, and Colin West. "Why Time Poverty Matters for Individuals, Organisations, and Nations." Nature Human Behaviour 4, no. 10 (October 2020): 993–1003. (Shared Authorship.)
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About The Author

Ashley V. Whillans

Negotiation, Organizations & Markets
→More Publications

More from the Authors

    • April 2025
    • Journal of Personality and Social Psychology

    Buying (Quality) Time Predicts Relationship Satisfaction

    By: A.V. Whillans, Jessie Pow and Joe J. Gladstone
    • March 2025 (Revised May 2025)
    • Faculty Research

    ING Türkiye: Flexible Work in a Competitive Banking Environment

    By: Ashley Whillans and Nico Schaefer
    • January 2025
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    Overcoming Barriers to Employee Ownership: Insights from Small and Medium-Sized Businesses

    By: John Guzek and Ashley Whillans
More from the Authors
  • Buying (Quality) Time Predicts Relationship Satisfaction By: A.V. Whillans, Jessie Pow and Joe J. Gladstone
  • ING Türkiye: Flexible Work in a Competitive Banking Environment By: Ashley Whillans and Nico Schaefer
  • Overcoming Barriers to Employee Ownership: Insights from Small and Medium-Sized Businesses By: John Guzek and Ashley Whillans
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