Ashley Whillans

Ashley Whillans

Ashley Whillans is a researcher and first author of the 2017 Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences paper on buying time and happiness.

Who they are

The work of Ashley Whillans reaches this site through the paper listed below. The name is tied to Buying Time, Time Scarcity. Their paper reports: Large diverse samples from the United States, Canada, Denmark and the Netherlands (6,271 people): individuals who spend money on time-saving services report greater life satisfaction.

Key papers

Whillans, A. V., Dunn, E. W., Smeets, P., Bekkers, R., & Norton, M. I. (2017). Buying time promotes happiness. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 114(32), 8523-8527. What it reports: Large diverse samples from the United States, Canada, Denmark and the Netherlands (6,271 people): individuals who spend money on time-saving services report greater life satisfaction. A field experiment: working adults report greater happiness after spending money on a time-saving purchase than on a material purchase. Authors conclude buying time can protect against the effects of time pressure on life satisfaction.

Key ideas

Buying Time: Spending money on services that free up time, such as delivery or help with chores, instead of on material goods.

Time Scarcity: The sense of not having enough time.

Sources

  1. Whillans, A. V., Dunn, E. W., Smeets, P., Bekkers, R., & Norton, M. I. (2017). Buying time promotes happiness. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 114(32), 8523-8527.