Morningness‐Eveningness Preference, Time Perspective, and Passage of Time Judgments

Abstract

Recent studies have shown that making accurate passage of time judgments (POTJs) for long‐time intervals is an important cognitive ability. Different temporal domains, such as circadian typology (biological time) and time perspective (psychological time), could have an effect on subjective POTJs, but few studies have investigated the reciprocal influences among these temporal domains. The present study is the first systematic attempt to fill this gap. A sample of 222 participants (53.20% females; 19–60 years) filled in the Zimbardo Time Perspective Inventory for the measurement of time perspective, the reduced version of the Morningness‐Eveningness Questionnaire (rMEQ) for chronotypes, and an ad‐hoc questionnaire assessing sleep habits during weekdays and the weekend (for social jetlag). The POTJ was measured using a modified version of a pictorial timeline presented at five different moments. Also, participants judged how different temporal expressions were related to the past, present, and future along a 7‐point Likert scale. After confirming the association between eveningness and present‐hedonism orientation and morningness and future‐orientation, we found that evening‐types produced higher scores for future expressions. The subjective POTJ expressed in minutes was predicted by Deviation from Balanced Time (DBTP), present‐fatalism orientation, and social jetlag. Finally, the rMEQ score, past‐positive orientation, and DBTP predicted the difference between subjective and objective POT. The results are discussed offering an explanation in terms of the interconnections between circadian typology, individual time perspective, and the sense of the POT, suggesting the multicomponent nature of the concept of time.

Insomnia, Time Perspective, and Personality Traits: A Cross-Sectional Study in a Non-Clinical Population

“…The total score ranges from 4 to 25 and higher scores indicate a shift toward morningness. Although Beracci et al [ 41 ] reported a Cronbach’s alpha of below 0.70, this value was in line with the α level reported in the Italian population [ 47 ]. More importantly, the concurrent and construct validity of the rMEQ has been demonstrated in an Italian context [ 45 ].…”

“…To evaluate the TP, we administered the Italian version of the ZTPI [ 22 ], adopted by Beracci et al [ 41 ]. This version of the ZTPI contained 56 items rated on a 5-point Likert scale (1 = very uncharacteristic of me; 5 = very characteristic of me).…”

“…The ZTPI identifies 5 TP dimensions: past-negative (PN: “ I often think about the bad things that have happened to me in the past ”); past-positive (PP: “ I enjoy stories about how things used to be in the good old times ”); present-hedonistic (PH: “ I take risks to put excitement in my life ”); present-fatalistic (PF: “ Since whatever will be will be, it doesn’t really matter what I do ”); and Future (F: “ Meeting tomorrow’s deadline and doing other necessary work comes before tonight’s play ”). The DBTP was considered as an indicator of a balanced TP and was calculated according to the formula reported by Stolarski et al [ 23 ] (see also [ 41 ]), reflecting an individual’s ability to switch between TPs (i.e., higher DBTP scores reflect a low level of balanced TPs). The optimal values for each dimension of ZTPI to subtract from observed values are: 1.95 for PN, 3.9 for PH, 4.0 for F, 4.6 for PP, and 1.5 for PF.…”

“…The optimal values for each dimension of ZTPI to subtract from observed values are: 1.95 for PN, 3.9 for PH, 4.0 for F, 4.6 for PP, and 1.5 for PF. Beracci et al [ 41 ] provided strong reliability for each scale (Cronbach’s alpha was equal to 0.83, 0.79, 0.85, 0.80, and 0.70, for PN, PP, PH, PF, and F, respectively).…”

“…In addition, we expected neuroticism to predict a high ISI score indirectly, through the mediation role of the PN perspective and/or DBTP score. Finally, circadian typology [ 38 ] was measured for the purpose of control, given that morningness–eveningness preference has been associated with insomnia [ 39 ], personality factors [ 40 ], and TP [ 41 ].…”