Feel Busy All the Time? There’s an Upside to That.

Busyness isn’t always a great feeling — but new research shows that it might have some major upsides. In this piece, the authors describe new studies that found a busy mindset can actually increase self-control, leading to improved decision-making in a variety of contexts. They suggest that this boost stems from an increase in perceived self-importance: when you feel busy, that can make you feel important, and thus alter how you make decisions. These findings have implications for marketers targeting busy consumers, as well as for policymakers interested in fostering people’s self-control.