Different Ways to Perceive Time

Everything is simply matter of time, but these matters don’t matter if we can’t agree on the time. Across cultures and history, there are different ways to perceive time. And these differences seep into the cracks of society’s workings.

Have you ever tried to use someone else’s computer mouse and the scroll wheel goes the wrong way? This difference of user interface is actually related to a difference in perception of the progression of time.

All Time is Not Created Equal

Depending on the region of the world, the meaning of “on time” is different. There is a distinct division in two separate modes of thought. In more urban, Westernized countries, the tolerance for punctuality is much narrower. Japan has this aspect too as the trains generally run no more than a minute off schedule. However, in Mediterranean and Caribbean countries, “on-time” can be hours or days later.

These different ways to perceive time form a dichotomy. The perception of time is either ruled by clocks and calendar (like the Swiss model, linear-active time), or more subjectively by personality (multi-active time). Linear-active time time-blocks one event or appointment at once. Multi-active time sees multiple activities happening at once, and as one wades around the pond of time (as Asian tradition references), these various activities drop and resume.

Most Asian cultures do keep a multi-active dominant, but mixed view of time. In Chinese-American business transaction, both cultures must compromise to reach decisions. The American must appreciate that the Chinese person needs time to wade. The Chinese must also concede a bit that the American wants a prompt, direct decision.

However, differently than some other multi-active time cultures, Chinese definitely value punctuality in meetings and events. In fact, early is more considered on-time, and on-time considered late, in China.

Cultural perspectives about time have also transformed over history. Now we always have access to know the date and time, and have awareness of things like expiration dates, travel times, and specific occasions.

How Time has Changed Over Time

Before the invention of the telegraph and the Standard Time introduction in the 1880s, communities kept time in their own ways without any attempts at being consistent across larger bodies. Clocks and watches sat in stores, but people were slow to change their established ways.

The sun and the moon generally gave people a good idea of the cycles. For example, the sun tracks the day by rising over the horizon and setting 180 degrees opposite that. The moon tracks roughly a month (28.5 day cycles), from a new moon, to a full moon halfway through its cycle, and back.

Here is what Kevin Lynch has to say about the creation of the time-piece in his book on city planning, What time is this place? :

“Telling time is a simple technical problem, but unfortunately the clock is a rather obscure perceptual device. Its first widespread use in the thirteenth century was to ring the hours for clerical devotions.

The clockface which translated time into spatial alteration, came later. That form was dictated by its works, not by any principle of perception. Two (sometimes three) superimposed cycles give duplicate readings, according to angular displacement around a finely marked rim. Neither minutes nor hours nor half days correspond to the natural cycles of our bodies or the sun.”

Kevin Lynch

Industrialization and economic health of a country also seems to a related to its time perception. Allen Johnson, an anthropologist who studies the matter, describes how perception of time progresses with the economy of a country:

The first stage is “time surplus,” such as in a tribal or hunter-gather society. The day is wielding to the forces of nature and people can generally spend time however they choose so long as food, shelter, and imminent threats are managed.

After this, as industrialization takes place, the society can have “time affluence,” in which the conveniences industrialization affords them allows even more enlightenment to take place.

Lastly the society experiences “time famine,” in which time is seen as money and scarce, as the citizens must clock in to keep the wheels of modernity turning.

Time is Money

The field of time discipline established by E.P. Thompson in 1967 asserts that “clock-time” developed as a result of European industrialization. European industrialization gave rise to actual clocks, and work discipline from governments and capitalist interests necessitates synchronic forms of time. There must be a clock in order for a clock to be punched. This indeed allows the modern state of capitalism to even begin to form in the first place.

The pre-industrial societies in Europe did have a different view of time, sometimes imposed by religious or government authorities. The pre-industrial conceptions of time flow from the oral tradition and tribal societies.

Americans also tend to think of time in terms of money. Many people work hourly or know roughly what they are making per hour of their work, in traditional employment, at least. If the time is passing without decisions or actions it is ingrained that the time is then “wasted,” in linear active time cultures.

Another anthropologist, Edward Hall, described in 1959 that cultural rules of time act like a “silent language.” In fact, in some contexts, time, and silence can convey clearer meaning than words. For example, in India people will be in silent company for hours. A Westerner may find this boring or awkward.

In Japan, a silence in a business meaning means they are not comfortable with a proposal. In the duration, the proposal is mentally amended until an idea worth speaking forms. We all dread small talk, but apparently not as much as silence. In some Southern European and Caribbean countries, (such as Italy, Spain, Panama), everyone speaks over each other, and this is not considered rude. (I have also noticed this with my own family and some other groups in other Southern United States!) Further, remaining silent after a question can simply mean that you don’t know the answer.

The Dichotomy Contrasts Different Ways to Perceive Time

Another slant on this dichotomy is individualistic versus collectivist cultures.

The United States is an archetype of individualist culture. People will move fast, go to their appointments and schedule things in. Individualized cultures emphasize achievement and success, with an urgency not to “waste time.”

In some traditional Asian nations, like India, the pace is slower, and collectivism is dominant. In these nations, including much of Latin America, people also share homes with extended family, have meals together, and have more social festivities.

The collectivist cultures are considered to have polychronic time perception, in which the social celebrations overlap and professional life is definitely second to home and family. This is essentially the multi active time model.

Monochronic is the time-blocked Westerner who arrives for the date right on time, the linear active time model. This is where cultural differences can also influence the perception of manners and rudeness.

How do you orient in time?

Time orientation refers to how one views the past, present, and future relative to each other. Past-oriented countries like India and China, have a long history to draw from. Newer countries like the U.S. are considered more future-oriented, looking at what’s to come. France is more moderately present-orientated, with Britain then relatively in the past from France.

Future-oriented countries are more likely to be monochronic, while ones with an extensive history to draw from, tend to be polychronic.

One example to see nuance in the differing directional ways to perceive time is the direction of writing. English writers would consider the “forward” direction to be left to right, for Arabic consider this right to left, and still the Chinese would consider this up to down.

Another clue to a culture or communities perception of time is the average walking speed. Walking speed is linearly correlated with the population size of the city the walker is most familiar with (i.e. grew up in.) As a whole, the cities studied in USA and Japan have the fastest walkers. This is seen in New York where the locals plow past the tourists at times (politely.)

Island Time and Climate on Time

The more future oriented a culture tends to be, the more punctuality and exact times seem to matter. On the other hand, in past-oriented India trains are often hours and days late. It is thought that because of a longer time history, the hours and days are inconsequential in comparison. In other areas like Mexico and Central America, this lax attitude toward exact times is called “island time” or “hora Mexicana.”

Climate seems to also play a role in pace of life. Whether this is from a lack of energy in the heat, taking time to enjoy life, or other reasons, we don’t yet know.

There are also seemingly some cultures with no time orientation. Tribes in the Amazon like the Pirahã do not have numbers or words for units of times. They also seem to have no concept of time. Their language only has a present tense. It is thought they view things as only existing as it is being perceived.

The Hopi of Arizona, USA, also lack verb tenses. They do have words for “sooner” and “later.” The religious views reflect this in a wheeled cyclic view of time, similar to the Hindu and Buddhist wheel of time.

Comparing Time Etiquette Examples

Italy vs. Switzerland

Time-keeping is nearly a religion in Switzerland apparently. As also the homeplace of clock-making, the Swiss always arrive on the nose.

Italy, like other Southern European countries like Spain, might be known to ignore time to finish conversations, festivities, human interactions. It is the consideration for the other person’s sense of time the weight of tardiness.

Insider says in its 2014 article “in Southern European countries, where authority, privilege and birthright negate the theory at every turn. In a society such as existed in the Soviet Union, one could postulate that those who achieved substantial remuneration by working little (or not at all) were the most successful of all”. (Business Insider)

USA vs. Mexico

Few Americans can be fully comfortable embracing the “multi-active” use of time described above through the Spaniards and Mexicans. Mexico the time overlaps. The party time can start before work end time, because no one arrives sooner than an hour late.

A Latina may show up 30 minutes for the date, leaving the American man possibly unsure if the date was something of importance to her. To her, to show up right on time would be almost rude.

Japan

The Japanese also have a bit of a dual view of time. They segment their time bluntly, between punctuality in professional affairs and zen-like pace more in personal affairs. Japanese classes only start when all the students are ready, events like weddings have multiple phases, and the tea ceremony displays a lot of important time phasing in its ritualistic proceedings.

In Japan, this is partially due to the importance placed on social relationships, at least traditionally. In the end there is a gesture of gratitude from the students always. The classes therefore have a “natural” feeling beginning and end.

Expats and Colliding Cultures

This difference in time perception becomes very important in international business and other international relationships. For a business in any country to function, there must be a clock to punch, so time synchronicity is crucial. We also have quarterly and yearly metrics and goals to hit, as well as deadlines and appointments.

An expat is short for ex-patriot, a person who goes to another country, usually to enjoy a lower cost of living and more lax style of life. This normally refers to Americans or Westerners moving to Latin American or Asian countries, but could really apply to anyone who willfully tries to get a citizenship outside their country of origin. When Expats first move aboard, they may not be aware of some cultural differences, including time perception. An expat from a multi-time country may have trouble adapting to the demands of the linear-time executives, who needs the reports handed in before deadline.

The Roads Analogy

Linear-active time orientation usually comes along with the idea that life is a journey, in which we reach the end of the road. The past is behind us, the future before us. Looking out onto the future, this future oriented style, we are planning and looking at deadlines.

Multi-active time can go along with a cyclic road of time. In some of these cultures, like that in Madagascar, the past is seen in front of you, because you already know what happened. Meanwhile the future is behind you – you can’t see it yet. Specifically, they see the future as behind their heads, and the past before their eyes.

Interesting as well is the Yupno people of Papua New Guinea’s time perception. The lands with dynamic altitude perhaps contributed to the past seen as downhill and the future is uphill. I quite like this because it is easier to “fall” into old ways and memories than it is to “hike” into new, unpredictable ones.

Time orientation plays out in unexpected ways in some user interfaces as well. Think of how digital interfaces signal to us that something is “past” or “coming”? To move a page up on some interfaces scroll up and others down. This is simply a choice by the designer, just like the scroll wheel on a computer mouse.

Learn about how electromagnetic radiation can technically deliver information faster than the speed of light.

Consulted

Exactlywhatistime.com, https://www.exactlywhatistime.com/other-aspects-of-time/time-in-different-cultures/

Clockify, https://clockify.me/blog/managing-time/time-perception/

Business Insider, 2014, https://www.businessinsider.com/how-different-cultures-understand-time-2014-5. Details the work of Richard Lewis’s book When Cultures Collide.