In an era of limitless technology and information, life can feel at once empowering and overwhelming—especially in jobs where employees feel pressure to be swamped. But just how busy are we, really?
Not as busy as we’d like others to think, according to a new study.
In a survey of 10,000 adults across various generations in 28 countries, they were asked about how technology and connectivity have affected their lives. Perhaps the most illuminative finding: People feel compelled to lie about how busy they are. Most respondents in the 28 countries fell into a middle “conflicted” category—people who outwardly admired busyness but wanted themselves to slow down. For those people, the conflicting feelings resulted in emotional tension and a desire to exaggerate their personal commitments. According to the study, only one in five respondents around the world said they genuinely find themselves rushing around a lot.