![\"Time](\"https:\/\/clockify.me\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/Time-orientation-and-perception-of-time-in-different-cultures-cover.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\nWhat is time in society and culture?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Although time<\/a> is a universal aspect of everyday life, how people think about it differs across cultures. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Psychologist Robert Levine explored these differences in his book A Geography of Time<\/a>. He found that more economically developed places, like North America, Northern Europe, and certain Asian countries, such as Japan, are fast-paced<\/strong>. That is to say, such countries greatly value time since, to them, time is money<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n On the other hand, countries with less developed economies are considered slow-paced<\/strong>. Cultures such as the Middle East and Latin America nurture a relaxed attitude towards time. They are more family and socially-oriented<\/em>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Thus, people\u2019s attitudes towards time depend on their cultural traditions, beliefs, and socioeconomic status.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Track time for any culture<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n Western cultures, including some parts of East Asia, such as Japan, tend to measure their time<\/a> by the clock<\/strong>. They believe that each activity should have a precise beginning and end.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Conversely, measuring time in Eastern cultures is event or personality-related<\/strong>. In other words, each activity should begin and end naturally, that is, when the participants feel<\/em> it should begin and end.<\/p>\n\n\n In some event-time societies, such as India, activities may occur in coordinated sequences. For example, during an Indian wake, attendees transition from gathering to prayer, singing, intermission, and mealtime. However, they move when they feel the time is right without concern for the clock.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Nations with a long history that survived wars, had past achievements, or lived in monarchies hold on to the past more than nations with a relatively short history. This era-based understanding of time is called time orientation<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In this sense, cultures are divided into:<\/p>\n\n\n\n We\u2019ve prepared a more detailed description of each orientation below.<\/p>\n\n\n\n These cultures don\u2019t have long-term perspectives<\/em> and are resistant to change.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Italy is an ideal example of a past-oriented country. Italians are known for their exquisite craftsmanship and artistic history. They stick to their past achievements and obtain new ones, relying on the knowledge of their ancestors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Moreover, Britain and China are past-oriented<\/a> since they have a long history, too. Like the Italians, they are proud of their past achievements and live their lives respecting their traditions and beliefs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Interestingly, even though the Chinese are past-oriented, they have a long-term perspective<\/a>. They cherish their traditions yet carefully plan for the future of their heirs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Past-oriented cultures view time as a vital source of wisdom and guidance. They use past experiences as a model for living today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Present-oriented cultures include the majority of Latin American and African countries. For them, what happened in the past should stay there. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Moreover, they are laid-back about future events. In fact, these cultures pay little attention to the future because they view it as uncertain<\/em> and unknown<\/em>. As a result, they often lack detailed plans for what\u2019s coming.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In short, present-oriented societies perceive time as immediate and are focused on the current moment. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Track time for any culture<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n Finally, cultures that are forward-thinking<\/em> are future-oriented. The US is such an example.<\/p>\n\n\n\n They live in the present to the fullest \u2014 but are mainly interested in topics related to future events. This may have to do with the fact that they are a relatively young country, at least compared to European countries. Besides, they are known to be thorough planners. For example, they meticulously plan their vacations, meetings, and important events well in advance. <\/p>\n\n\n\n For future-oriented cultures, time is viewed as a valuable resource that should be directed toward progress, goals, and innovation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \ud83d\udca1 CLOCKIFY PRO TIP<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Want to effectively set and achieve your goals? To do that, you should follow a few simple steps. So, read the blog post below:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Chronemics examines how time impacts communication<\/a> \u2014 that is, how people perceive and value time in interactions. <\/p>\n\n\n\n People and organizations in different cultures have different understandings of the use of time in communication, specifically, nonverbal communication<\/em>. We\u2019ll single out 2 types of such time use: <\/p>\n\n\n\n Event or personality-related cultures use the polychronic approach, while by-the-clock cultures use the monochronic approach. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Let\u2019s learn more about each of these approaches below.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The<\/strong> monochronic approach includes doing one thing at a time, strictly sticking to schedules, and making thorough plans<\/strong>. People who are comfortable with this time use are task-oriented<\/em>. Therefore, they don\u2019t let anyone or anything interfere with their daily goals. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Set a schedule in Clockify<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n Monochronic cultures include Western cultures such as North America and Western Europe, as well as some Asian countries like Japan, Taiwan, and South Korea. Overall, the latter 3 countries combine monochronic and polychronic time use.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For instance, when it comes to business and deadlines, Japan, Taiwan, and South Korea incline towards monochronic time use. As for activities that include building relationships, they lean towards the polychronic approach. In other words, these activities are spontaneous and not thoroughly planned.<\/p>\n\n\n\n At work, M-time people:<\/p>\n\n\n\n \ud83d\udca1 CLOCKIFY PRO TIP<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Interested in finding out more about the biggest time-wasters at work and how to reduce them? Check out the following blog post: <\/p>\n\n\n\n People inclined towards the polychronic time approach are driven by emotion and events.<\/strong> Therefore, they are more people-oriented<\/em> because they prioritize family and social life over work. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Polychronic cultures include Latin American, African, and Middle Eastern cultures. Their attitude towards work includes doing several things at once without paying too much attention to time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n P-time people don\u2019t stick to the schedule so rigidly. In addition, polychronic organizations are externally focused, and their primary concern is customer satisfaction. They follow market trends and prioritize customer feedback.<\/p>\n\n\n\n At work, P-time people:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Monochronic and polychronic cultures may have misunderstandings in business encounters. For instance, polychrons don\u2019t have a defined time frame for each meeting. Eastern people start their business meetings by getting to know their partners more and giving them time to introduce themselves. Their meetings last until they achieve goals in the course of nature. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Conversely, monochronic North Americans like to get to the point and achieve goals in a defined time frame. They have no time to waste.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Furthermore, as per an article on the premature return of expats<\/a>, the inability to adjust to a different culture is one of the main reasons expats return home early. This usually happens because they go abroad unprepared and unaware of cultural differences, including differences in cultural perceptions of time. <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n Time tracking software used by millions. Clockify is a time tracker and timesheet app that lets you track work hours across projects.<\/p>\n\n A North American flies to Istanbul for an annual meeting with his Turkish partners. Punctual as he is, the North American finds it very odd to see people mingling and chatting during work time. He also seems surprised that the meeting didn\u2019t start on time and that his partners extended it spontaneously. <\/p>\n\n\n\n What he doesn\u2019t know is that Turkish people put great value on building social relationships. Thus, good relationships between coworkers are of the essence. Turkish people run meetings on the spur of the moment without forcing them to end at a certain time to achieve instant goals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Different cultures should be aware of the cultural differences in order to enjoy their encounters more and obtain mutual benefits. Hence, you should always research the cultures of your teammates (if they\u2019re different from yours) to avoid surprises.<\/p>\n\n\n\n To establish a successful overseas partnership, some ground rules need to be defined. Companies that have a positive outcome when sending people abroad follow specific rules, including:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Understanding each other and respecting cultural differences can generate innovative ideas. Moreover, expats shouldn\u2019t be afraid to communicate with locals, even though their knowledge of the local language may not be advanced. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Once they start communicating with locals more, they\u2019ll find it easier to adapt to culture-specific elements of their everyday lives \u2014 including that culture\u2019s sense of time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \ud83d\udca1 CLOCKIFY PRO TIP<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n To learn more about cross-cultural barriers and how to overcome them in the workplace, read the blog post below:<\/p>\n\n\n\n In his 1959 book The Silent Language<\/em><\/a>, anthropologist Edward Hall described cultural rules of time as the \u201csilent language.\u201d According to him, time can sometimes convey content more clearly than words. In line with that, people in India are comfortable with sitting in silence for hours, as opposed to the US, where sitting in silence would feel awkward. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Read on to see how different cultures understand punctuality, waiting, and silence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In his book A Geography of Time, Robert Levine writes about his experience working as a psychology professor in Brazil. He describes how anxious he felt, primarily due to his concerns about potential language barriers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Yet, he had no idea that the biggest eye-opener would be differences in attitude towards time and punctuality. The psychologist found it surprising that students would often come to class late for more than an hour (for a lecture that lasted 2 hours). Additionally, they would stay long after the lesson was officially over.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Levine\u2019s Brazilian students didn\u2019t seem to be bothered by minutes or hours as his students back home in California were. They would spend the last 10 minutes looking at the clock and jostling each other to leave the classroom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n At the same time, punctuality-conscious countries such as Germany, the US, or Switzerland apologize for being 5 minutes late for a meeting. In these countries, arriving on time for a meeting is considered late. Participants should arrive 10-15 minutes before the meeting. For the Swiss, punctuality isn\u2019t just a nicety \u2014 it\u2019s a fundamental aspect of their way of life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Track your time with Clockify<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n In Eastern cultures, where the polychronic time approach prevails, people don\u2019t find waiting so concerning. Queuing is an everyday thing in polychronic cultures. If the client in a bank is an acquaintance of the bank officer, it\u2019s perfectly fine if they indulge in a private talk. In addition, there\u2019s a rule of hierarchy in these cultures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n High-status people have multiple meetings throughout the workday and thus don\u2019t need to apologize for being late. Psychologists Richard Brislin and Eugene Kim described waiting as an \u201cindication of status<\/a>\u201d and that \u201cthe more power and influence you have, the longer you can make people wait for you.\u201d In India, for instance, the law of the strongest prevails \u2014 the one who pushes through the crowds will go first.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Monochronic cultures think of waiting as losing precious time and money. Japanese trains are among the most punctual in the world. If a train is delayed by even a minute, it\u2019s customary for the train company to issue a formal apology to passengers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Eastern cultures are quite comfortable being silent. They think of silence as a valuable time to reconsider their decisions or actions. Asian people are very respectful and would remain silent throughout the entire conversation and never interrupt a speaker. <\/p>\n\n\n\n But this silence may have an additional meaning. For instance, if the Japanese remain silent during a business meeting, they aren\u2019t comfortable with a proposal and are waiting for a concession. <\/p>\n\n\n\n On the other hand, Western cultures may find silence awkward. As a result, they try to fill in the silence with small talk. In Italy or Spain, everybody speaks at the same time, and interrupting a speaker isn\u2019t disrespectful. Furthermore, remaining silent after a question means that you don\u2019t know the answer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In this section, we\u2019ll provide answers to some of the frequently asked questions about time perception and time use in different cultures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Terms like \u201cchronoception,\u201d \u201cthe sense of time,\u201d and \u201cthe perception of time\u201d all refer to the same thing \u2014 how humans perceive the passage of time. Chronoception is a subjective experience involving how individuals perceive the duration of events or time intervals between them. The perceived time interval between two consecutive events is known as perceived duration<\/em> or interval perception<\/em><\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Chronoception varies based on attention, age, emotional engagement, and other factors. <\/p>\n\n\n\n There\u2019s a theory that time passes faster as we age. Experts suggest that this perception is primarily due to the fact that we have fewer new experiences<\/a> and absorb less visual information (the more information our minds process, the slower time passes). This decrease in new visual stimuli leads us to believe that time passes more quickly. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \ud83d\udca1 CLOCKIFY PRO TIP<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n For some useful tips on how to make time go faster at work, check out the following blog post:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Eastern cultures typically embrace a slower lifestyle, while Western societies are fast-paced. According to an article on the pace of life<\/a>, a fast-paced lifestyle associated with certain countries, such as the US, can negatively impact physical and psychological well-being. Apart from being linked to higher death rates due to heart disease, a fast-paced lifestyle often leads to people feeling unhappy. This mostly happens because people feel a constant sense of urgency, causing them to forget to enjoy the present.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Task-oriented cultures, such as the US and some Asian countries, prioritize efficiency and productivity over relationships. In Japan, dedication to work is highly valued, and long work hours are the norm. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Conversely, relationship-oriented cultures, such as Latin America, tend to place a stronger emphasis on personal relationships and leisure time. For instance, Brazilians often enjoy extended lunch breaks that allow for socializing (taking a 2-hour lunch break is common in Brazil). <\/p>\n\n\n\n Polychronic cultures perceive deadlines as flexible and adjustable, whereas monochronic cultures regard them as strict and non-negotiable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For example, polychronic cultures, such as the Middle East or Latin America, are comfortable extending deadlines and altering their schedules as plans change. On the other hand, monochronic cultures relate delays to unreliability.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If your team members are scattered across the world, you could face time zone mismatches. To fix this problem, use a reliable time tracking software like Clockify.<\/p>\n\n\n\nTimekeeping in different cultures<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"Clock](\"https:\/\/clockify.me\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/Clock-time-vs-event-time.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\nTime orientation: past, present, and future-oriented cultures<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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#1: Past-oriented cultures<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
#2: Present-oriented cultures<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
#3: Future-oriented cultures<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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Chronemics: polychronic vs. monochronic time <\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Type #1: Monochronic approach<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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Type #2: Polychronic approach<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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![\"Monochronic](\"https:\/\/clockify.me\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/Monochronic-vs-polychronic-time-approach.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\nMonochronic and polychronic cultures in business<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"Illustration\"](\"https:\/\/clockify.me\/blog\/wp-content\/themes\/cake-blog\/theme\/images\/banners\/clockify\/default@2x.png)
\n <\/picture>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n \n\n\n\nAn example of a cross-cultural misunderstanding between a monochronic and a polychronic culture<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
How to prevent cross-cultural misunderstanding when doing business<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
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How cultures perceive punctuality, waiting, and silence<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Punctuality in different cultures<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Waiting in different cultures<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Silence in different cultures<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
FAQs about time perception and time use in different cultures<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
What is chronoception?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Does the sense of time change with age?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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How does the pace of life vary across cultures?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
How do different cultures prioritize work versus leisure time?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
How do different cultures perceive deadlines?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Collaborate like a pro anywhere in the world \u2014 with Clockify by CAKE.com<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"Clockify](\"https:\/\/clockify.me\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/Clockify-time-settings.png\")
![\"Clockify](\"https:\/\/clockify.me\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/Clockify-calendar-integration.png\")