The best time to ask someone for a favour is at least several weeks in advance, a new study suggests. The research finds that people consistently over-commit because they expect to have more time in the future than they do right now.
Previous studies have shown that people generally 鈥渧alue things less in the future than now鈥�, says Gal Zauberman, a consumer-behaviour researcher at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill, US. For example, many people prefer to pay for something in a week鈥檚 time rather than today 鈥� even if it costs slightly more.
Now, Zauberman and colleague John Lynch at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina, have found that this tendency is even stronger for time than for money.
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鈥淲hen asked to do something far in the future, we usually say 鈥榶es鈥�. Sure, I鈥檒l be happy to help you write a paper or move apartments,鈥� Zauberman told New 杏吧原创. 鈥淧eople always like to delay things, but they are more optimistic about changes in time than in money.鈥�
Time in a month
The researchers came to their conclusions after giving groups of students a range of questionnaires. In one questionnaire, for example, the students were asked how much spare time and spare money they had that day and how much they expected to have in a month. The students believed both resources would be more available in a month鈥檚 time, but they believed more strongly that they would have more time in the future.
That suggests people gauge their financial situations better than their schedules. 鈥淏arring some change in employment or family status, supply and demand of money are relatively constant over time, and people are aware of that,鈥� the researchers report.
Zauberman says the perception of a surplus resource, or 鈥渟lack鈥�, determines our propensity to delay things.
Previous research provides a hint about this time perception 鈥� people tend to underestimate how long it will take to finish a task. The new study also suggests people 鈥渄on鈥檛 understand the competition for their time from other things they need to do鈥�, says Zauberman.
He would like to study how people can be taught to realise they will be just as busy in the future as they are today. But in the meantime, he says: 鈥淚f you want to get people to commit to things or to help you in a charity organisation 鈥� it鈥檚 always better to ask for the future.鈥�
Journal reference: Journal of Experimental Psychology: General (vol 134, p 23)
