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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
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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

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    Perceived Job Difficulty Influences Unionization Support for Workers in Low-Wage Jobs

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    The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the Satisfaction of Workers in Low-Wage Jobs

    By: Elizabeth R Johnson and Ashley V. Whillans
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
  • Perceived Job Difficulty Influences Unionization Support for Workers in Low-Wage Jobs By: Elizabeth R. Johnson and Ashley V. Whillans
  • The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the Satisfaction of Workers in Low-Wage Jobs By: Elizabeth R Johnson and Ashley V. Whillans
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