Conspicuous Consumption of Time

Conspicuous Consumption of Time

Reviewed by Faisal Zaidi

Busyness and a lack of leisure time used as a status symbol.

What it is

Bellezza, Paharia and Keinan found across studies that people attribute higher status to busy people, because they infer desirable traits such as competence and ambition and that the person is in demand in the job market. The effect depended on cultural values, including perceived social mobility.

In effect

The article on why doing nothing is suddenly popular uses it as the signal that a visibly unhurried person stands against.

What it does not say

The effect depended on cultural values such as perceived social mobility, so it is not a universal rule about busy people. It describes what observers infer and does not say what any busy person is actually like.

Sources

  1. Bellezza, S., Paharia, N., & Keinan, A. (2017). Conspicuous consumption of time: When busyness and lack of leisure time become a status symbol. Journal of Consumer Research, 44(1), 118-138.