Disclaimer: i'm not well-versed in anthropology/history, but this has been studied and debated by scholars [0]
If you've ever been to the countryside, you'll notice that everything feels slower. The fast, ever-working "lifestyle" we know today apparently originated in with early capitalism/industrualism and was itself subject to stark opposition (for example from the luddites, who contrary to popular belief were not anti-tech but rather early anti-capitalists).
When that new rhythm was expanded to all areas of life with mass-industrialization in the 18th/19th century, thinkers of the time pointed the absurdity to replace legal slavery with what they called "wage slavery". [1]
[0] https://groups.csail.mit.edu/mac/users/rauch/worktime/hours_...
have you been to India or another country with a similar wealth disparity in the global south?