This paperback is subtitled The Temporal Misadventures of a Social Psychologist, or How Every Culture Keeps Time Just a Little Bit Differently. In America, the pace of life is dictated by the clock. In some other cultures people move in conjunction with "nature time" or "event time" (predictable happenings in the community). California State University professor Robert Levine looks at the different perceptions of time through the ages and in various countries. Americans believe that time is money and wasting time is immoral, but people in the Malay peninsula believe that haste is a breach of ethics and hanging around with people for no specific purpose is prosocial behavior.

Levine's research has unearthed many fascinating insights into the geography of time. For instance, he has ranked 31 countries from fastest (Switzerland) to slowest (Mexico). The author recounts the culture shock he experienced during a long stay in Brazil where a lack of promptness is viewed as a badge of achievement. Levine also considers the connections between the speed of life and health issues, eight tips for handling "the silent language of time" while traveling abroad, and the ways Zen Buddhists and devout Jews have attended to time.