Shrinithi Sathiyaseelan - Week #12: Power and Time
Photo Credit: https://science.howstuffworks.com/science-vs-myth/everyday-myths/time.htm
Time is a powerful force in our lives, described in an article from the Association for Psychological Science as "the great equalizer." No matter how much money we make, what we do, or how famous we are, we are all limited by the same number of hours in a day.
However, the article cites a study by two scientists from UC Berkeley, which demonstrates that feeling a sense of power leads people to "perceive themselves as being able to control time" and feel that they have more time at their disposal. Scientists Alice Moon and Serena Chen conducted a study with 557 participants and established that power leads to an increase in perceived time ability.
Although powerful people would generally have more control over their time, with an ability to cancel meetings or assign tasks to assistants, Moon and Chen found that people with higher power still perceived greater control over time than people with less power when operating under the same time constraints. The researchers told 104 college students that they would be solving brain-teaser problems with a partner, and they would be assigned to a specific role: either the boss (high power), or an employee (low power). People assigned to the role of "bosses" were told that they would be directing the employees on which problems to solve and what answers to submit, while the employees were told that they wouldn't have any control over key aspects of the assignment.
After the task, they responded to questions asking them how they felt with control over their time or if it was difficult for them to keep a schedule because others took them away from their work. The bosses with more control and power reported having more time and feeling more powerful, as expected.
It is really interesting to think that power can affect how we feel about our time. The study showed that more than people with more power having control, they perceived being able to have more control even when they didn't. If we felt more confident, we might be able to feel less stressed and find more efficient ways to handle our time.
Hey Shrinithi! It is certainly interesting to think that our perception about time itself can be warped based on perceived power structures in a workplace. Maybe this explains why higher ups are often criticized for giving more work in an amount of time than is actually completable in reality. If confidence really is a way to help a person become a faster and more efficient worker, maybe a flatter power structure where everyone feels like they're more in power really is the most efficient type of work structure.
ReplyDeleteHey Shrinithi! This research study was quite interesting to learn about! I know when it comes to procrastination, we rush ourselves and tend to push deadlines and really compress our time, leaving us unsure and less confident about our work and effort. In reality, we are solely responsible for managing our time, however the pressures and stress that come with being a junior in high school can really manipulate our emotions and feelings, shoving us towards temporary forms of relief, like giving in to the idea of procrastinating. Personally speaking, being a procrastinator myself, procrastination has been extremely aggravating and I’m never too proud or confident about the outcome or product of my work. So going by just that, I’m sure taking control of my own time and actions will help me achieve the results I want and enable me to become more confident and assured. Thank you for sharing!
ReplyDeleteHey Shrinithi, the control of time might truly just directly correlate with the amount of power one might also hold. This can be justified through the sense that those with more power is able to effectively manage their time more efficiently, and are not held to strictly enforced deadlines as those with less power are. Take for example, a CEO and their employees: the CEO assigns a certain task to each one of his employees and gives them a week to finish it. This deadline, except for maybe special circumstances relating to the employee, will be final and cannot be changed. However, if the said CEO assigns a task for themself, they can theoretically modify its deadline to any extent they wish, as they will be the only one holding themselves accountable. This is a really revealing article, thank you.
ReplyDeleteTo amend the first sentiment, yes technically we have the same 24 hours. Think of however, a person on a private jet versus a commercial airplane, someone with a driver versus someone who drives themselves, someone who has someone who cleans their house versus someone who cleans their house. Those with wealth have more time than us, they have people who remove things from their plate that give them far more time than us. I am not surprised that those with power feel more in control of their time and their lives, but I did not have the proof for it until now. Intriguing. I think at our core, we crave control. Yes trauma magnifies it but in general I think humans like a sense of control, it makes us less anxious and I wonder if that contributes to a sense of more time. I wonder what the effects of these feelings are long term, do people with power tend to be less stressed? Do they live longer? Do they tend to have healthier hearts? I would love to see where these studies on power go.
ReplyDeleteShrinithi, this blog post definitely made my gears turn. As I read your blog post and the description of the experiment, it made me start to think about if I was in power would really think I have more time. As I pondered about it, I guess I came to the conclusion that I would as well. If I had the control over assignments and tasks, I would be able to move them around and fit them to my time contrasts which definitely would mean that with power I would also gain time. I think this also highlights a problem in our society that people in power have much more time and freedom compared to workers and less powerful people; this is something that should be fixed or balanced out in the future. This was such a great post and thank you for sharing.
ReplyDeleteHi Shrinithi, logically speaking, this makes sense. The more power you have, the more control you have over what you want to do with your time. And to be honest, for me at least, I sometimes want that power taken away from me so I do not have to decide what to do with my time. Upon first hearing this statement, it might not make sense, but sometimes I feel more comforted doing a singular task that I have to do, rather than having to organize my time and manage the work.
ReplyDeleteHi Shrinithi! Your blog brought a fascinating connection between power and time that I never considered before. The study you included was very interesting to learn about and I am completely intrigued that a positive correlation was found between power and time. A guess that I have as to why the experiment resulted in this way is due to the fact that the employees have to meet a deadline that they have no control over, while the boss could schedule their own workload based on how they see fit. However, I wonder if this remains true to all positions of power since powerful people, like the president and monarchy, have to fit into thinner deadlines and work to please the people. Overall, I really enjoyed learning about the relationship between power and time. Thank you for sharing!
ReplyDeleteHey Shrinithi, I never really thought about this time and power dynamic until you brought it up. Even though the study showed how people with more control and power felt like they had more time and felt more powerful, the experiences I have had so far kind of go against this. This year because of clubs and some classes, I had to assign people work, but because of the heavy sense of duty I gained, I still felt rushed and powerless when I am actually the one who has to least worry about doing the work; all I had to do was arrange assignments. This perspective was really interesting to read about though. Thank you for sharing!
ReplyDeleteHi Shrinithi, I never considered how having more power would give one the sensation of having more control over time. To me, your blog was very intriguing and made me realize that those who have the power to make important decisions that impact the lives of others and to control their own lives truly do have control over time. I also feel that oftentimes, those who are in control have less work and more free time which also contributes to them feeling like they have the time to do whatever they want.
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