Allocating Time to People and Pets: Correlates With Income and Well-Being in a Midwest Community Sample

Abstract

The authors investigated the allocation of social time to self, family, friends, and pets; they explored the associations between these time allocations and 2 measures of well-being in a group of 173 community-dwelling men and women, 35 to 55 years old. Results indicated that time allocation was strongly related to income, that individuals with high incomes spent more time with family, and that time spent with pets was second only to time spent with family. Time allocations were related to a measure of negative mood for men. Time allocations were independent of positive and negative well-being measures for women, but time spent with pets was related to negative mood in men. The findings are discussed in relation to the emerging importance of income and time use in middle-aged persons.