【公开学术报告】Killing versus Using Time: How Natural Language Shapes Time Consumption

Killing versus Using Time: How Natural Language Shapes Time Consumption

Guest Speaker: Kun Wang (Rutgers U)

Date & Time: Tuesday, October 22, 2024, 9:30 - 11:00 am (Beijing Time) 

Zoom Meeting ID: 88628181108 (Password: 198283)

Join via the Link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88628181108

ABSTRACT

Balancing leisure and work is crucial to consumer well-being, yet relatively little is known about the factors that drive time allocation between the two. How might natural language impact time consumption decisions? Eleven studies examining both real and hypothetical behavior document that framing an interval of time as time “to kill” or “pass” increases leisure (and decreases work) consumption compared to framing the same interval as time “to use.” These effects emerge across a range of interval lengths, ranging from a few minutes to several hours, and a variety of measures of leisure/work consumption. The authors find that the verbs “kill” and “pass” (vs. “use”) decrease perceptions that the available time is a utilitarian (i.e., functional, instrumental) resource, thereby increasing consumption of leisure, which tends to be seen as relatively unproductive compared to work. As a result, the observed semantic framing effect is mitigated when consumers believe leisure is productive. The findings suggest that consumers looking to increase leisure or work can benefit from matching their language to their time consumption goals.

Keywords: time allocation, leisure, work, semantic framing, natural language