Does being busy make people feel more important?
People sometimes wear exhaustion as proof of value.
Someone says they are busy.
Nobody asks if they are happy.
The hidden mechanism is scarcity status.
Rare things feel valuable.
Free time becomes rare.
So busyness starts looking important.
People compare schedules the way previous generations compared possessions.
The danger is subtle.
A full calendar can become part of identity.
And identities are difficult to question.

