They then randomly assigned participants to one of two conditions-working busy lifestyle or non-working leisurely lifestyle: They created a short description of a 35-year-old named Jeff (or Giovanni for Italians). This was one of the most interesting studies the researchers conducted. Perceptions of busyness in the United States vs Italy “Just as items that are scarce may be afforded more status and value, so might a person who is scarce.”.“We propose that in advanced economies, long hours of work and busyness may operate as a signal that one possesses desirable human capital capabilities and is therefore in high demand and scarce in the job market, leading to elevated status attributions.”.“In advanced economies, the market for human resources is typically highly specialized both on the supply side, with individuals investing in their human capital, and on the demand side, with a large body of companies, institutions, and head hunters competing to hire the best talent.”.“The shift of status attribution based on time expenditure may be linked to the development of knowledge-intensive economies, characterized by structured employment markets and demand for human capital.”.How did Americans come to believe that a busy person possesses things like competence and ambition? “A series of studies shows that the positive inferences of status in response to busyness and lack of leisure time are driven by the perceptions that a busy person possesses desired human capital characteristics (e.g., competence and ambition) and is scarce and in demand in the job market.”.Why is busyness a status symbol in America? The Big Research Conclusion from Conspicuous Consumption of TimeĪ busy and overworked lifestyle, rather than a leisurely lifestyle, has become an aspirational status symbol in America. In contemporary American culture, complaining about being busy and working all the time has become an increasingly widespread phenomenon…To explain this phenomenon, we uncover an alternative kind of conspicuous consumption that operates by shifting the focus from the preciousness and scarcity of goods to the preciousness and scarcity of individuals. While there’s a ton of research that looks at how people spend money on things to signal status, this research investigates “conspicuous consumption in relation to time.” The research was conducted by professors at three different universities: Silvia Bellezza (Columbia Business School), Neeru Paharia (McDonough School of Business, Georgetown University), and Anat Keinan (Harvard Business School). The report was published in 2016 and is titled Conspicuous Consumption of Time: When Busyness and Lack of Leisure Time Become a Status Symbol (Free PDF). But, they often leave out why we are so busy.Ī fascinating piece of busyness research attempts to answer why. When it comes to busyness, there’s plenty of info online that states the what (we’re all busy) and gives you tips about how to unbusy your work and life.
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