<p>'Humblebragging' - or boasting about how hectic your life - may be the new status symbol, according to Harvard researchers, including one of Indian origin.<br /><br />Researchers found that being seen as constantly busy and overworked is the new way to prove that one is 'in demand'.<br /><br />Taking the afternoon off for a round of golf or enjoying a beach holiday in a five-star resort were once signs of having social capital.<br /><br />However, phrases such as 'I have no life' and 'I desperately need a holiday' are now used to imply social standing, researchers said.<br /><br />While ordering food shopping online is the perfect way to prove to neighbours that you are simply too busy and important to go to the supermarket.<br /><br />"Movies, magazines, and popular TV shows often highlight the abundance of money and leisure time among the wealthy," said Neeru Paharia, an assistant professor at Harvard University in the US.<br /><br />"In recent years, featuring wealthy people relaxing by the pool or on a yacht, playing tennis and polo, or skiing and hunting are being replaced with ads featuring busy individuals who work long hours and have very limited leisure time," Paharia told the 'Telegraph'.<br /><br />"Displaying one’s busyness at work and lack of leisure time operates as a visible signal of status in the eyes of others," she said.<br /><br />The study, carried out in the US, found that brands that marketed themselves as timesaving were becoming increasingly high-status, because of the people who used them.<br /><br />However, in Italy the effect was completely reversed. Italians still view a leisurely life as representative of high status, researchers said.<br /><br />The study was published in the Journal of Consumer Research. <br /><br /></p>
<p>'Humblebragging' - or boasting about how hectic your life - may be the new status symbol, according to Harvard researchers, including one of Indian origin.<br /><br />Researchers found that being seen as constantly busy and overworked is the new way to prove that one is 'in demand'.<br /><br />Taking the afternoon off for a round of golf or enjoying a beach holiday in a five-star resort were once signs of having social capital.<br /><br />However, phrases such as 'I have no life' and 'I desperately need a holiday' are now used to imply social standing, researchers said.<br /><br />While ordering food shopping online is the perfect way to prove to neighbours that you are simply too busy and important to go to the supermarket.<br /><br />"Movies, magazines, and popular TV shows often highlight the abundance of money and leisure time among the wealthy," said Neeru Paharia, an assistant professor at Harvard University in the US.<br /><br />"In recent years, featuring wealthy people relaxing by the pool or on a yacht, playing tennis and polo, or skiing and hunting are being replaced with ads featuring busy individuals who work long hours and have very limited leisure time," Paharia told the 'Telegraph'.<br /><br />"Displaying one’s busyness at work and lack of leisure time operates as a visible signal of status in the eyes of others," she said.<br /><br />The study, carried out in the US, found that brands that marketed themselves as timesaving were becoming increasingly high-status, because of the people who used them.<br /><br />However, in Italy the effect was completely reversed. Italians still view a leisurely life as representative of high status, researchers said.<br /><br />The study was published in the Journal of Consumer Research. <br /><br /></p>