Counterintuitively, spending time on others makes us feel less time-constrained.
Four experiments reveal a counterintuitive solution to the common problem of feeling that one does not have enough time: giving some of it away. Although people’s objective amount of time cannot be increased (there are only 24 hours in a day), this research demonstrates that people’s subjective sense of time affluence can be increased: compared with wasting time, spending time on oneself, and even gaining a windfall of “free” time, spending time on others increases feelings of time affluence. The impact of giving time on feelings of time affluence is driven by a boosted sense of self-efficacy-such that giving time makes people more willing to commit to future engagements despite their busy schedules.
Source: “Giving Time Gives You Time” from Psychological Science
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