Time affluence and health: a scoping review of conceptual and methodological patterns

This scoping review systematically maps how the conceptualization of time affluence, its measurement, and its links to health and wellbeing across existing literature. Drawing on conceptual and theoretical papers, direct empirical investigations, and proxy-based empirical studies, this review identifies substantial variations in conceptual definitions and measurement approaches. The evidence generally frames time affluence as a subjective psychological resource that is associated with psychosocial wellbeing, although structurally oriented studies examine temporal availability using proxy indicators. Across study types, research has primarily focused on psychological outcomes, paying only limited attention to behavioral, physiological, and population-level indicators of health. This review highlights the need for greater conceptual integration between subjective and structural perspectives, methodological diversification going beyond cross-sectional self-report designs, and broader public health investigation of temporal resources as potential determinants for health equity.