Standing on Shaky Ground and Living in the Now: How Resource Stability Influences Time Perspectives
Abstract
Time perspective predicts multiple health, antisocial, and prosocial outcomes, but the factors that explain it are rarely examined. We suggest that the availability of resources (financial, social, and personal) may be one of the key determinants as to whether someone adopts a present or future time perspective. Two studies (n = 300 college students for Study 1, 167 working adults for Study 2) examined the unique influences of resource amount and stability on time perspective. Participants reported the amount and stability of three types of resources: financial (e.g., income), social (e.g., support) and personal (e.g., vitality). Participants also reported the degree to which they have present and future time perspectives. The results showed that the instability of financial and social resources were associated with the adoption of a present-focused perspective (esp. fatalism). The stability of personal resources was associated with the adoption of a future-focused perspective (esp. planfulness). These results were replicated using two different measures of time perspectives.
Standing on Shaky Ground and Living in the Now: How Resource Stability Influences Time Perspectives
Time perspective predicts multiple health, antisocial, and prosocial outcomes, but the factors that explain it are rarely examined. We suggest that the availability of resources (financial, social, and personal) may be one of the key determinants as to whether someone adopts a present or future time perspective. Two studies (n = 300 college students for Study 1, 167 working adults for Study 2) examined the unique influences of resource amount and stability on time perspective. Participants reported the amount and stability of three types of resources: financial (e.g., income), social (e.g., support) and personal (e.g., vitality). Participants also reported the degree to which they have present and future time perspectives. The results showed that the instability of financial and social resources were associated with the adoption of a present-focused perspective (esp. fatalism). The stability of personal resources was associated with the adoption of a future-focused perspective (esp. planfulness). These results were replicated using two different measures of time perspectives.
