Time poverty and intertemporal choice: The role of time perspective

Abstract

Time poverty, that is, a broader feeling of having too many things to do and not enough time to do them, is a widespread problem in modern society. This research explored the effect of time poverty on intertemporal choice and its psychological mechanism, that is, time perspective. In Study 1 (n = 888), participants completed questionnaires about time poverty, time perspective and intertemporal choice. The results indicated that time perspective, including a stronger present orientation (i.e., higher scores in Present Hedonistic) and a weaker future orientation (i.e., higher scores in Future Negative) could act as mediators for the time poverty-intertemporal choice link. In Study 2 (n = 125), participants completed high (or low) time poverty manipulation and a different set of instruments to measure intertemporal choice and time perspective. The results indicated that participants experiencing time poverty reported a marginally higher present orientation (i.e., higher scores in CFC-Immediate) and a greater preference for immediate rewards. Moreover, present orientation could mediate the effect of time poverty on intertemporal choice. These findings indicate that time perspective may serve as the psychological mechanism for intertemporal choice under time scarcity.