Balanced Time Perspective (BTP) is a mental ability involving the effective switching among different time perspectives, which has been identified as one of the most powerful predictors of life satisfaction. Understanding the link between BTP and life satisfaction may inform broader framework of fostering subjective well-being. Among diverse assessment methods for BTP, Deviation from Balanced Time Perspective (DBTP) is widely used by researchers to quantify the deviation from an optimal time perspective balance. However, empirical research that has systematically synthesized the relationship between DBTP and life satisfaction is scant. Consequently, the notion of a strong relationship between BTP and life satisfaction remains largely an intuitive hypothesis, lacking enough comprehensive empirical evidence. Therefore, a multilevel meta-analysis was conducted to account for statistical dependency among effect sizes, yielding a more accurate estimate of the association. Through a systematic search across Scopus, PubMed, and PsycArticles, encompassing nine studies with seventeen effect sizes and a total of 5,800 participants, this study aimed to synthesize the empirical evidence of the relationship between DBTP and life satisfaction. Results consistently showed a moderate-negative correlation between DBTP and life satisfaction (effect size = -0.52, 95% CI [-0.62, -0.42]). The type of DBTP measurement method (traditional DBTP and DBTP-r) did not significantly moderate this relationship, and no publication bias was detected. In conclusion, this study provides timely empirical evidence and invites further discussion on how balanced time perspective contributes to human well-being, offering both theoretical insights and practical implications for future research and applications.

Authors:
Chia-Hsien Lu, National Taiwan Normal University, Taiwan
Huey-Jiuan Chen, National Taiwan Normal University, Taiwan

About the Presenter(s)
Mr. Chia-Hsien Lu is a PhD student at Department of Educational Psychology and Counseling, National Taiwan Normal University (NTNU)

See this presentation on the full schedule – Wednesday Schedule

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