In some cultures, particularly Asian cultures and some Native American cultures, it’s a wheel, moving in reoccurring cycles. Monochronic cultures also tend to see time as a “line,” stretching forward into the future and backwards into the past.īut that’s not universal. Time in different cultures: Time isn’t always a line. Japanese culture is generally regarded as polychronic, but the culture is also quite fast-paced and punctuality is important). (One caveat: These are just generalizations. Interruptions are regarded as normal instead of undesirable.
In polychronic cultures, it’s also more common to do many things at a once. Monochronic cultures see time as a limited resource, something that can be “saved,” “spent” or “wasted.” In a monochronic culture (like the US or the UK), it’s normal to schedule tasks and appointments to start and end at a certain time.īut in a polychronic culture, time is seen as flexible. And that means that appointments and deadlines may be more flexible as well. Social scientists classify cultures are “monochronic” or “polychronic” based on how they view time. Here’s what that means and why it matters. With that in mind, here are 6 useful facts about time in different languages and cultures. And that can lead to confusion, especially when you’re travelling, or when you’re trying to socialize or do business with someone from a culture that treats time differently than your own. Time should be easy to translate, right? Wrong! The passage of time is universal and inevitable, but the way different cultures experience it is not.