IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/joepsy/v107y2025ics016748702500008x.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Does future time reference framing increase temporal discounting? Evidence from English monolinguals

Author

Listed:
  • Chen, Josie I.
  • Han, Yue
  • He, Tai-Sen

Abstract

Despite growing support for the linguistic-savings hypothesis (LSH), direct causal evidence remains limited. Recent research has investigated whether future time reference framing affects intertemporal decision-making, particularly in languages with weak future-time-reference (w-FTR) distinctions, though these studies have largely yielded null results. One critique of these null results is that speakers of w-FTR languages may be insensitive to the subtle language framing intended to prime distinctions between present and future, unlike speakers of strong future-time-reference (s-FTR) languages. To address this gap, the present study re-examines the framing effect within English, an s-FTR language, using a sample of nearly 600 monolingual participants. Consistent with previous findings, the results provide no evidence supporting the LSH in the context of future time reference framing.

Suggested Citation

  • Chen, Josie I. & Han, Yue & He, Tai-Sen, 2025. "Does future time reference framing increase temporal discounting? Evidence from English monolinguals," Journal of Economic Psychology, Elsevier, vol. 107(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:joepsy:v:107:y:2025:i:c:s016748702500008x
    DOI: 10.1016/j.joep.2025.102796
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S016748702500008X
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.joep.2025.102796?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Silvia Angerer & Daniela Glätzle-Rützler & Philipp Lergetporer & Matthias Sutter, 2021. "The effects of language on patience: an experimental replication study of the linguistic-savings hypothesis in Austria," Journal of the Economic Science Association, Springer;Economic Science Association, vol. 7(1), pages 88-97, September.
    2. Armin Falk & Anke Becker & Thomas Dohmen & Benjamin Enke & David Huffman & Uwe Sunde, 2018. "Global Evidence on Economic Preferences," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 133(4), pages 1645-1692.
    3. Oded Galor & Ömer Özak & Assaf Sarid, 2020. "Linguistic Traits and Human Capital Formation," AEA Papers and Proceedings, American Economic Association, vol. 110, pages 309-313, May.
    4. Clist, Paul & Hong, Ying-yi, 2023. "Do international students learn foreign preferences? The interplay of language, identity and assimilation," Journal of Economic Psychology, Elsevier, vol. 98(C).
    5. Li, King King, 2017. "How does language affect decision-making in social interactions and decision biases?," Journal of Economic Psychology, Elsevier, vol. 61(C), pages 15-28.
    6. Shane Frederick & George Loewenstein & Ted O'Donoghue, 2002. "Time Discounting and Time Preference: A Critical Review," Journal of Economic Literature, American Economic Association, vol. 40(2), pages 351-401, June.
    7. Chen, Josie I. & He, Tai-Sen, 2021. "Discounting from a distance: The effect of pronoun drop on intertemporal decisions," Journal of Economic Psychology, Elsevier, vol. 87(C).
    8. Efrén O. Pérez & Margit Tavits, 2017. "Language Shapes People's Time Perspective and Support for Future‐Oriented Policies," American Journal of Political Science, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 61(3), pages 715-727, July.
    9. Armin Falk & Anke Becker & Thomas Dohmen & Benjamin Enke & David B. Huffman & Uwe Sunde, 2017. "Global Evidence on Economic Preferences," NBER Working Papers 23943, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    10. Holger Herz & Martin Huber & Tjaša Maillard-Bjedov & Svitlana Tyahlo, 2021. "Time Preferences Across Language Groups: Evidence on Intertemporal Choices from the Swiss Language Border," The Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 131(639), pages 2920-2954.
    11. Chen, Josie I. & He, Tai-Sen & Riyanto, Yohanes E., 2019. "The effect of language on economic behavior: Examining the causal link between future tense and time preference in the lab," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 120(C).
    12. M. Keith Chen, 2013. "The Effect of Language on Economic Behavior: Evidence from Savings Rates, Health Behaviors, and Retirement Assets," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 103(2), pages 690-731, April.
    13. Sutter, Matthias & Angerer, Silvia & Glätzle-Rützler, Daniela & Lergetporer, Philipp, 2018. "Language group differences in time preferences: Evidence from primary school children in a bilingual city," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 106(C), pages 21-34.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Clist, Paul & Hong, Ying-yi, 2023. "Do international students learn foreign preferences? The interplay of language, identity and assimilation," Journal of Economic Psychology, Elsevier, vol. 98(C).
    2. Essl, Andrea & Suter, Manuel & von Bieberstein, Frauke, 2023. "The effect of future-time referencing on pro-environmental behavior," Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Economics (formerly The Journal of Socio-Economics), Elsevier, vol. 107(C).
    3. Keller, Tamás & Kiss, Hubert János & Szakál, Péter, 2024. "Endogenous language use and patience," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 220(C), pages 792-812.
    4. Silvia Angerer & Daniela Glätzle-Rützler & Philipp Lergetporer & Matthias Sutter, 2021. "The effects of language on patience: an experimental replication study of the linguistic-savings hypothesis in Austria," Journal of the Economic Science Association, Springer;Economic Science Association, vol. 7(1), pages 88-97, September.
    5. Tai-Sen He & Yohanes E. Riyanto & Saori C. Tanaka & Katsunori Yamada, 2020. "Pronoun drop and prosocial behavior: experimental evidence from Japan," Journal of the Economic Science Association, Springer;Economic Science Association, vol. 6(1), pages 13-25, June.
    6. Cantarella, Michele & Fraccaroli, Nicolò & Volpe, Roberto, 2024. "Does language prevent policy take-up? Evidence from the Italian Start-up Act," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 53(6).
    7. Francesco Campo & Luca Nunziata & Lorenzo Rocco, 2024. "Business is tense: new evidence on how language affects economic activity," Journal of Economic Growth, Springer, vol. 29(1), pages 121-149, March.
    8. Chen, Josie I. & He, Tai-Sen & Riyanto, Yohanes E., 2019. "The effect of language on economic behavior: Examining the causal link between future tense and time preference in the lab," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 120(C).
    9. Glätzle-Rützler, Daniela & Lergetporer, Philipp & Sutter, Matthias, 2021. "Collective intertemporal decisions and heterogeneity in groups," Games and Economic Behavior, Elsevier, vol. 130(C), pages 131-147.
    10. Zhang, Zhi & Zhang, Di & Jiang, Senyang & Li, Ao & Yu, Wei, 2023. "The effect of language on IPO underpricing: Evidence from a multinational research," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 89(C).
    11. Astghik Mavisakalyan & Yashar Tarverdi & Clas Weber, 2022. "Heaven can wait: future tense and religiosity," Journal of Population Economics, Springer;European Society for Population Economics, vol. 35(3), pages 833-860, July.
    12. Matija Kovacic & Cristina Elisa Orso, 2023. "Who’s afraid of immigration? The effect of economic preferences on tolerance," Journal of Population Economics, Springer;European Society for Population Economics, vol. 36(3), pages 1901-1940, July.
    13. Dániel Horn & Hubert János Kiss, 2020. "Time preferences and their life outcome correlates: Evidence from a representative survey," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 15(7), pages 1-26, July.
    14. Sutter, Matthias & Angerer, Silvia & Glätzle-Rützler, Daniela & Lergetporer, Philipp, 2018. "Language group differences in time preferences: Evidence from primary school children in a bilingual city," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 106(C), pages 21-34.
    15. Dawoon Jung & Tushar Bharati & Seungwoo Chin, 2021. "Does Education Affect Time Preference? Evidence from Indonesia," Economic Development and Cultural Change, University of Chicago Press, vol. 69(4), pages 1451-1499.
    16. Oasis Kodila‐Tedika & Sherif Khalifa, 2020. "Long‐term vision and economic development," The World Economy, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 43(11), pages 3088-3102, November.
    17. Dar, Shafkat Shafi & Sahu, Sohini, 2022. "The effect of language on financial inclusion," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 106(C).
    18. Niklas Ziemann, 2022. "You will receive your money next week! Experimental evidence on the role of Future-Time Reference for intertemporal decision-making," CEPA Discussion Papers 56, Center for Economic Policy Analysis.
    19. Brenøe, Anne Ardila & Epper, Thomas, 2022. "Parenting values and the intergenerational transmission of time preferences," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 148(C).
    20. repec:osf:osfxxx:6cwk7_v1 is not listed on IDEAS
    21. Thijs Brouwer & Fabio Galeotti & Marie Claire Villeval, 2023. "Teaching Norms: Direct Evidence of Parental Transmission," The Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 133(650), pages 872-887.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:joepsy:v:107:y:2025:i:c:s016748702500008x. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/locate/joep .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.