The power to control time: Power influences how much time (you think) you have

Abstract

Time, because of its unrenewable nature, has often been called an equalizing resource. Though objectively, time is identical for everyone, time perception has been found to be a subjective experience that can be distorted by psychological cues; however, little research has examined individual and situational factors that influence time availability. Based on past research on power and illusory control, we hypothesized that powerful individuals would perceive having more available time as a consequence of their perceived control over time. Five studies experimentally demonstrated that power increases perceptions of available time, and that perceived control over time underlies this effect (Study 3). Finally, we provided initial evidence that increases in perceived time availability lead powerful individuals to feel less stressed (Study 5).