Time Poverty Predicts an Imbalance Between Help-Seeking and Help-Giving: The Mediating Effect of Zero-Sum Beliefs About Time

Time poverty, a persistent feeling of insufficient time, significantly affects interpersonal dynamics, particularly help-seeking and help-giving. Across five studies using hypothetical scenarios (Studies 1a and 1b), academic (Study 2), and everyday contexts (Study 3), we found that time poverty consistently fosters a mismatch wherein individuals’ help-seeking behaviors exceed their willingness to provide help, regardless of task interdependence (Studies 1a and 1b). Zero-sum beliefs about time emerge as a key mediator explaining the effect of time poverty on this imbalance, a mechanism substantiated by both correlational (Studies 2 and 3) and causal (Study 4) evidence. Moreover, findings reveal that time poverty reduces both help-provider’s and help-seeker’s preference for autonomy-oriented help relative to dependency-oriented help (Studies 1b and 3), suggesting an additional adverse consequence for personal growth and development.