Is a Slower Life a Pathway to Sustainable Lifestyles?

Abstract The restricted mobility and homebody life people experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic implied a dramatic change of the time–space configuration in everyday life. Based on a qualitative interview study with 35 participants in Ireland and Sweden, this article presents theoretical perspectives and empirical illustrations on how changes in the sociotemporal rhythms in everyday life can shape conditions for making people's lifestyles more environmentally sustainable. Its findings suggest that the experience of a slower tempo can contribute to how people reflect on and engage in more sustainable practices, but they also reveal that people can have ambiguous and differentiated positive and negative experiences of time, and that said experience was often perceived as a temporary break rather than a lasting change. The article contributes by offering a nuanced understanding of the promises of slowing down as a way to encourage sustainable consumption.