To wait, or not to wait: The paradoxical effects of time metaphors on impatience

Abstract This research explores the paradoxical effects of two different root metaphors of time—as resource and as motion—on impatience. We first show a conceptual correspondence between the two root metaphors: experiences associated with little time are often perceived as similar to those associated with time passing quickly, and experiences associated with ample time are often perceived as similar to those associated with time passing slowly. However, people's impatience exhibits opposite patterns for the corresponding metaphors: while people are less willing to wait when they have little versus ample time, they are more willing to wait when they experience time passing quickly versus slowly. This paradoxical effect arises because corresponding metaphors have opposite effects on perceived control and anticipated valence of the waiting time, which in turn lead to variations in impatience. Four studies (plus two in the Appendices S4 and S5) conducted across online, lab, and field settings support these findings. By identifying the relationship between the root metaphors of time‐as‐motion and time‐as‐resource and their paradoxical effects on impatience, this research contributes to the literatures on temporal cognition and intertemporal choice, and to the broader literature on the role of metaphors in consumer decision‐making.