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Less is more when time is scarce: How time poverty enhances minimalistic consumption through increased need for order
Peiling Cao1, Xuechen Ding1, Xiaomin Sun1
1Beijing Key Laboratory of Applied Experimental Psychology, National Demonstration Center for Experimental Psychology Education (Beijing Normal University), Faculty of Psychology, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China.
British Journal of Psychology (London, England : 1953)
|June 18, 2026
Summary
Feeling time-poor increases minimalistic consumption. This occurs because a lack of time heightens the need for order, leading people to prefer fewer possessions and simpler aesthetics.
Area of Science:
- Consumer Psychology
- Behavioral Economics
Background:
- Time poverty is a widespread issue in contemporary society.
- Its impact on consumption patterns, particularly minimalistic consumption, is not well understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the relationship between time poverty and minimalistic consumption.
- To explore the mediating role of the need for order in this relationship.
Main Methods:
- Three experimental studies involving 660 participants were conducted.
- The studies examined the causal link between time poverty and preferences for minimalistic consumption.
- Mediating effects of the need for order and need for relaxation were analyzed.
Main Results:
- Time poverty was found to causally increase preference for minimalistic consumption, including sparse aesthetics and limited possessions.
- This effect was mediated by an increased need for order.
- Minimalist environments were shown to reduce the heightened need for order in time-poor individuals.
Conclusions:
- Temporal scarcity, or time poverty, can drive consumption reduction through compensatory control mechanisms.
- The need for order is identified as the key psychological mechanism linking time poverty to minimalistic consumption.
- Findings offer insights for designing products catering to the psychological needs of time-poor consumers.
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