Less is more when time is scarce: How time poverty enhances minimalistic consumption through increased need for order.

Abstract

Time poverty - the chronic feeling of having insufficient time - has become pervasive in modern life, yet its influence on minimalistic consumption remains unexplored. Drawing on compensatory control theory, we propose that time poverty promotes minimalistic consumption through heightened need for order. Three experimental studies (N = 660) provide evidence. Studies 1 and 2 suggest that time poverty causally increases preference for minimalistic consumption, particularly sparse aesthetics and limited possessions, mediated by need for order (Study 1 and 2) rather than alternative mechanisms such as need for relaxation (Study 2). Study 3 shows that exposure to minimalist environments attenuates the heightened need for order among time-poor consumers, consistent with minimalism's compensatory function. These findings challenge the assumption that resource scarcity uniformly drives acquisition, revealing that temporal scarcity can promote consumption reduction through compensatory control. Our research advances understanding of time poverty's consequences, identifies a novel driver of minimalistic consumption, and reveals need for order as the key mechanism, offering insights for designing products that address the psychological needs of time-poor consumers.