Abstract:

The tense rhythm of modern society makes people feel that time is decreasing, which results in a perception of time famine. We call this phenomenon “Time Poverty”. We propose a significant influence of “Time Poverty” on individual's cognitive judgment, emotion, and behavior regulation. Integrating the approaches of behavioral science and cognitive neuroscience, this project explores the impact of “Time Poverty” on individual's intertemporal choices and proactive behavior at three levels: behavioral, psychological, and neural mechanism. The objectives of this project are to investigate (1) the influence of “Time Poverty” on individual’s cognitive judgment, emotion, and behavior regulation, (2) the influence of “Time Poverty” on individual’s intertemporal choice, and (3) the impact of “Time Poverty” on employee proactive behavior in organizations. Via a series of studies, we attempt to address three critical questions: (1) How does “Time Poverty” affect people’s cognitive judgment? Does it lead to irrational decisions? (2) What is the brain mechanism of the influence of “Time Poverty” on individual's cognitive function and intertemporal choice? (3) what managerial challenges does “Time Poverty” put forward? By answering these questions, we intend to further behavioral decision theory and provide a practical guide for effective management design and the avoidance of “Time Poverty Trap” (employee and organization).

Key words: time poverty, intertemporal choice, irrational decision making, cognitive mechanism, proactive behavior