Delayed gratification has some benefits. What is its relationship to procrastination?

I like this question. The two have similarities and differences. A person can have both.

Waiting for something you want.

It means choosing to wait for a better result. It helps us complete tasks, get along with others, and adapt to the world around us.

Procrastination

It means to wait to do something.

Both delayed gratification and procrastination stretch out time. The result is different because people are willing to do it for different reasons.

The willingness to delay gratification is a willingness to do something.

I want to do it in advance, but only for the long-term benefits. I choose to suppress my current desires and intentions to maximize my gains.

Your TV is broken and you want to buy a new one today. The merchant says the price will be 500 yuan less in three days. You wait three days and buy it. This is delayed gratification.

2. You don't want to do it.

You have to do it, but you don't want to do it early. You have to choose to extend the time, and you don't start until you have to. If the time is extended, it means you failed, and it may even lead to certain undesirable consequences.

If your boss assigns you to collect materials and you wait until the last few days to do it, you will be scolded and feel a sense of failure.

Good question.

Let me try to answer.

There have been so many books, studies, articles, and calls for procrastination-27532.html" target="_blank">delayed gratification that it's hard to know where to start.

I have a different point of view.

[Delayed gratification doesn't have to be planned.]

Some articles tell people to make themselves or their children wait.

When babies cry, you should teach them to wait.

Such training is unnecessary and can cause early psychological trauma in infants.

What is unintentional, natural delayed gratification?

If the baby cries while the mother is cooking, the mother responds, "I hear you, I am here, I will come soon." The child knows the mother is there and is reassured.

Then the mother puts the fire out and takes care of the baby. This is called delayed gratification.

There are many natural forms of delayed gratification. Use them, don't create artificial ones.

[Procrastination may be waiting until the last minute.]

Li Songwei says procrastinators wait until the last minute. This is true for adults.

You know you can finish it at the last minute, so you put it off until then. The solution is to bring forward the last minute.

For children doing their homework, procrastination can be a form of resistance. It depends on why they're putting it off.

Thank you for your question. The above answer is just to get people talking and learning together.

Hello, landlord. I hope my answer is helpful to you.

This is a great question. It shows that the host has done some thinking about this. So, is there a link between procrastination-27532.html" target="_blank">delayed gratification and procrastination? I think there is. In fact, these two can show how in control someone is of themselves.

People with self-control use lots of different techniques to delay gratification. They become more refined and achieve greater goals. People with weak self-control are easily tempted by external influences. They give in to immediate desires and give up on a better future.

I'd like to share a few thoughts on this with you for your consideration:

1. What we can learn from the delayed gratification experiment

In the 1960s, Walter Mischel, a psychology professor at Stanford University in the United States, designed a famous experiment on "delayed gratification," which began in a kindergarten on the Stanford University campus.

The researchers found dozens of children and asked each of them to stay alone in a small room with just a table and a chair. On the table was a tray with something the children loved—cotton candy.

The researchers told the kids they could either eat the marshmallows right away or wait until they got back. If they ate them right away, they wouldn't get anything; if they waited, they'd get an extra marshmallow.

They could also ring a bell on the table at any time, and the researchers would come back right away. For these kids, the whole thing was pretty rough.

Ultimately, most children gave up after less than three minutes.

Some kids ate the marshmallows without waiting, while others stared at them on the table and rang the bell half a minute later. About a third of the kids waited until the researchers came back to give them the reward, which was almost 15 minutes later.

Later on, Michel chatted with his three daughters, who had also taken part in the experiment, about what was going on with their kindergarten friends. He noticed that there was a link between how well these teenagers were doing at school and their ability to "delay gratification" when they were young.

Starting in 1981, Michel reached out to each of the 653 participants, who were now high school students. He sent questionnaires to their parents and teachers, asking about the kids' academic performance, problem-solving skills, and relationships with their classmates.

The questionnaire results showed that children who rang the bell immediately had more behavioral issues at home and at school, and lower grades. They often had trouble coping with stress, had trouble concentrating, and had difficulty maintaining friendships.

Kids who could wait 15 minutes before eating sweets scored, on average, 210 points higher in school than those who ate them immediately.

There was a follow-up to this experiment. Michel and other researchers continued to study the participants until they were over 35.

The study showed that people who couldn't wait back then had a higher body mass index as adults and were more likely to have problems with drug use. "But this is what the participants said, and there is inevitably some discrepancy between what they said and their actual behavior in real life," explains Michel.

"Michel explained.

You might also be wondering how the children who wanted a second marshmallow managed to control themselves while waiting. What exactly determines self-control?

Michelle noticed that the kids who could wait didn't keep staring at the marshmallows. They were distracted by other things. Some covered their eyes or turned their backs, while others kicked the table, pulled their pigtails, played hide-and-seek, or sang. Some even hit the marshmallows with their hands.

The kids didn't lose their desire for the marshmallow, they just temporarily forgot about it.

Michel believes the marshmallow experiment is a great predictor of how the participants will turn out. "If a child can control himself and get more marshmallows, he'll probably study more than watch TV," he said. "He'll also likely save more money for retirement."

He got more than just cotton candy.

This can give us some inspiration. When we face temptation, we don't need to avoid it and resist it. We can redirect our attention to other things we can do. We can use temptation as a driving force to motivate ourselves to grow.

So, as you can see from this experiment, "delayed gratification" is really about getting what we want. We're not just passively waiting, but actively doing lots of things along the way. But if we procrastinate, we won't get what we want and we'll end up further away from our goals.

2. "Delayed gratification" will make us better and better, while procrastination will make us less satisfied with ourselves and less confident.

Have you noticed that almost everything that can help you improve requires delayed gratification?

If you want to achieve your goals, you need to be patient and wait for the right time. If you don't have the patience to wait, you'll find it difficult to succeed. For example, if you gain weight when you're trying to lose weight and start overeating, or if you give up your reading plan when you're too tired after work, it will be difficult to achieve your goals. This just shows that being able to "delay gratification" will make you better and better, while constantly procrastinating will make you increasingly dissatisfied with yourself and less confident.

There's a book called "Delayed Gratification" written by a student of Kazuo Inamori. It's about how people can delay gratification to achieve their goals and the mistakes that people who find it difficult to achieve their goals make. The author has summarized these research findings into actionable methods that have helped countless ordinary people.

One method in the book is called setting intermediate goals. For example, if you want to improve your reading and writing skills within a year, this is a long-term goal of delayed gratification. You can break it down into reading a few books and writing a few articles a week, and make a specific book list. If you achieve intermediate goals that are specific and can be implemented, it'll be easier for you to achieve your goals, and you'll also be motivated to complete the tasks for the next week.

Have you noticed that delayed gratification means being willing to give up instant gratification for a more valuable long-term goal and constantly pushing yourself to grow while waiting? When someone has the ability to "delay gratification," they're highly motivated and will do a lot of things for their goal without procrastinating.

3. Work on your self-control, face temptation head-on, set long-term goals, break them down into short-term goals you can achieve, and learn to "delay gratification" to beat procrastination and make more valuable life dreams a reality.

A person's self-control is closely related to their self-discipline. When a person's self-control is weak, it's easy to procrastinate, which leads to undesirable results. However, a person with strong self-control can achieve "delayed gratification," resist temptation, and help themselves achieve longer-term goals and more worthwhile dreams in life.

So, how can we improve our self-control?

First, we need to set reasonable goals and break them down into smaller, more manageable steps to shorten the time it takes to achieve them. As we mentioned in the second point, when we break down our big goals into smaller, more specific tasks and set aside time each day to complete them, we can see our progress in a shorter period of time. This gives us positive feedback, which can improve our motivation, self-confidence, and self-control.

The second thing to remember is to avoid temptation. We all know that temptation can get in the way of improving self-control.

I have a strong opinion about this. If I spend too long looking at my phone or browsing it all the time, I'll lose track of time and feel bad if I haven't done what I should have done. But if I put my phone aside when I'm working or studying and don't pay attention to it, I'll be more efficient. So we need to create an environment for ourselves that is "free from temptation," which can also help us improve our self-control.

Third, it's more important to accept our imperfections and get the job done than to be perfect. Sometimes we put things off because we want to be the best and perfect.

But the truth is, there are no perfect people or perfect things in this world. And we can't develop self-discipline overnight. As Dong Yuhui said, "You can never really be ready. Take off first, then adjust your posture; start running first, then adjust your breathing."

If you want to achieve your big goals, you need to learn to wait and improve your self-control. Procrastination will only get in the way.

I'd like to leave you with a quote from Dong Yuhui, and also from myself: it takes eight minutes for sunlight to reach the earth, so if you calm down and focus on your own development, you too can shine!

Hello, question asker! You've brought up a great point about the connection between "procrastination-27532.html" target="_blank">delayed gratification" and "procrastination." It's definitely something worth thinking about and chatting about.

Let's start by finding out what "delayed gratification" is.

Let's start by learning what "delayed gratification" means.

Have you heard of the famous Stanford University psychology professor Walter Mischel? He once conducted an experiment in a kindergarten that I think you'll find really interesting. He gathered dozens of children and asked each to stay in a small room with just a table and a chair. The researcher told the children, "If you really can't resist eating the candy on the table, you can ring the bell on the table; if you can wait until I come back, you will get another marshmallow as a reward."

Once the experiment was over, we found that most children gave up after less than three minutes. Some even ate the candy without ringing the bell! Only a very small number of children were able to wait until the researcher returned and were rewarded with another marshmallow.

In later follow-up surveys, it was found that most of the children who could wait and delay gratification were successful, both in school and in their future careers. However, those who couldn't control their desires and were unwilling to wait were later on the path to failure.

Have you heard of the famous "candy effect," also known as the "delayed gratification effect"? It's a wonderful thing! When a child has a need or desire, obstacles can be set up, and the child can learn to accept waiting and improve their ability to withstand frustration, self-discipline, willpower, and the ability to overcome obstacles and difficulties.

It's so important to teach kids the value of delayed gratification. It's a skill that will serve them well throughout their lives! It helps them to develop self-control, social adaptability, and interpersonal skills. It's a positive and developmental skill that will help them to succeed in all areas of their lives.

When we hear the word "procrastination," we often think of it as a form of "procrastination disorder." But really, procrastination is just a sign that we're having trouble regulating our own behavior. It's not always about laziness or a lack of time management skills. In fact, there are many reasons why we procrastinate, and they're often related to our personal traits or external environmental factors. For instance, if we lack self-confidence or are prone to perfectionism, we might find it difficult to start tasks. Or, if we're facing external temptations or have trouble controlling our impulses, it can be challenging to stay focused on our goals. Procrastination can make us feel like we just don't want to do anything, which can lead to feelings of laziness, timidity, and a lack of motivation. It can also affect our ability to complete tasks effectively. So, when we procrastinate, it can prevent us from achieving our goals. At its core, procrastination is a negative behavior that can cause distress and even impact our lives and work.

So, to sum up, both "delayed gratification" and "procrastination" mean delayed in time. But when it comes to results, "delayed gratification" is a good thing! It gives people a chance to exercise their willpower and improve their ability to deal with setbacks. Procrastination, on the other hand, is often negative for individuals, as it causes them to fail to complete what they want in a timely and effective manner.

I really hope my answer helps! Please keep posting your thoughts, and together we can exchange ideas and learn from each other. The world and I love you!

Hello. This is a very good topic. You must also have your own experiences and thoughts. Let's take a look at what "delayed gratification" and "procrastination" are and the difference between the two.

Let's start with the concept. Many psychology books have discussed the concept of delayed gratification. To save time, I'll borrow an explanation from the Internet: delayed gratification refers to a choice orientation that willingly gives up immediate gratification for a more valuable long-term outcome, as well as the self-control ability demonstrated during the waiting period. It's a concept that individuals must develop in order to complete various tasks, coordinate interpersonal relationships, and successfully adapt to nature.

Procrastination is the deliberate postponement of starting or completing an activity, either explicit or implicit.

If you can get a small apple in 5 minutes and a large apple in 50 minutes, you must give up the small apple you can get right away and wait a little longer for the large apple. Procrastination is like having a large apple there already, but not taking it because you don't like it or don't want it.

The internal motivation of delayed gratification is "wanting and wanting better," which is positive and adaptive. In contrast, the internal motivation of procrastination is "not wanting or being afraid to want," which is negative and maladaptive. This includes the use of procrastination as a strategy to refuse. Their internal motivations are different, and although there are similarities in their outward behaviors, there is actually no obvious connection.

I won't dwell on delayed gratification, but I will discuss procrastination in the following two examples.

Xiaoming, a second-grader, doesn't start his homework immediately after getting home from school. Instead, he wants to watch cartoons. After his mother turns off the TV, he sits at the table and plays with pencils, procrastinating. Even if he does write, he does it in a lazy manner. It's obvious that he could finish his homework by 9:00, but he procrastinates until 10:30. In this case, Xiaoming procrastinates because the homework is too difficult or boring. It may also be that he can't play after finishing early, and he has other homework to do, so he keeps procrastinating.

This example is consistent with the internal motivation of "not wanting" mentioned earlier.

Example 2: Office worker Daming has to submit a report on Monday, but keeps putting it off until Sunday night. When asked, he will say, "I know I should write it right away. I've been thinking about the report all weekend and I haven't rested well at all, but I just don't want to write it. I have to do it at the last minute." In this situation, Daming is worried that his boss will not be satisfied with the report, so he wants to submit a perfect report. However, when he thinks about the workload of searching for various materials, he knows it is too difficult, and he is worried, anxious, and resistant, so he avoids doing it.

This example aligns with the internal motivation of "fear of asking" mentioned earlier.

These are just two simple examples. The causes of procrastination are complex. The person often doesn't want to procrastinate and may even see it as a problem. At this point, more self-exploration is needed. This includes long-term thinking, behavior patterns, perfectionist tendencies, excessive self-blame, and self-criticism. These issues must be discussed with a counselor and resolved.

This is my personal opinion on the matter, for the questioner's reference.

Good day.

Your question is thought-provoking. I would like to analyze it dialectically, but I believe the distinction between the two is more nuanced.

Delayed gratification is an active form of self-control, whereas procrastination is a passive state of mind and behavior.

Delayed gratification is a decision-making strategy that involves forgoing immediate gratification in favor of a more valuable long-term outcome. It demonstrates self-control during the decision-making and waiting periods. Procrastination, on the other hand, is a passive thought and behavior that deviates from the initial goal and cannot be considered a "disease" in the strict sense.

Delayed gratification is more about "waiting" and "endurance," while procrastination is more about "instant gratification."

Delayed gratification requires temporarily restraining one's desires, giving up immediate temptations, and exercising self-control in the process of "waiting" and "enduring" in order to pursue greater goals and achieve greater enjoyment. However, the prevalence of temptations in today's environment makes it challenging for the average person to resist them. In many cases, instant gratification becomes the victim of temptation, and procrastination becomes one of the most common behaviors.

Procrastination often has negative consequences, whereas delayed gratification can lead to positive outcomes.

Delayed gratification allows us to "see the rainbow after the rain," and it obtains positive long-term benefits by overcoming the current difficult situation. Procrastination is generally an inherent weakness of human willpower, often accompanied by negative emotions such as fear, avoidance, and self-doubt.

I hope this information is useful to you.

Hello question owner.

Delayed gratification is the ability to resist temptation and give up instant gratification for a more valuable long-term outcome.

I've seen this problem. Delayed gratification is controlling yourself when you're tempted and choosing to wait for a better result.

Procrastination is when you don't follow your goals or act on important tasks on time. It can lead to failure. It's a lack of self-discipline and control.

If you can't wait to get something, you might procrastinate. If you have to pay now for something you'll get later, you'll probably do it now.

People procrastinate.

Delayed gratification is the opposite of procrastination. People who can delay gratification have self-discipline. Procrastinators lack self-discipline.

Could there be another side to this? If we encourage people to stop putting things off, they might start doing better. And if we help them to wait longer, they might become more stable. Especially when they're in trouble, these two things can help us understand people better.

I would like to begin by extending my sincerest gratitude to the original poster for posing such a thought-provoking question. I also commend the poster for their research spirit.

It is unclear what confusion the questioner is experiencing and in what situation. Furthermore, it is necessary to establish the relationship between these two concepts.

I will provide a brief overview of my own understanding to stimulate discussion.

The concept of "procrastination-27532.html" target="_blank">delayed gratification" has its roots in the seminal marshmallow experiment. The findings indicate that children who are unable to consume marshmallows immediately tend to demonstrate greater future achievements.

It is acknowledged that this is merely a correlation and not a cause-and-effect relationship. It can be argued that the ability to set goals for oneself, persevere and work unrelentingly towards that goal is what determines future achievements. This may involve various abilities such as goal planning and decomposition, as well as persistence in following through.

It is unclear whether this is a result of preconceived notions about the experiment itself, but it does appear that the general public tends to view "delayed gratification" as a positive quality and "procrastination" as a negative one. My own perspective on this matter differs somewhat.

The following examples illustrate this point.

In response to a newborn baby's cries, parents may choose to ignore them in order to delay gratification. This approach, which has been termed the "cry immunity method" in the field of behavioralism, has been observed to significantly diminish the infant's sense of security.

Another example is that an individual sets a goal for themselves to study for an entrance exam and only rewards themselves for going out and having fun after they pass the exam. However, they then realize that studying for the entrance exam is not something that can be done overnight, but rather requires months or even a year of consistent review. As a result, they feel overwhelmed and are unable to focus when studying. Consequently, they keep thinking about going out and having fun, which in turn delays their progress.

It is evident that procrastination can result from delayed gratification.

This raises the question of how to address the issue of procrastination.

It is my contention that "delayed gratification" can be an effective strategy for addressing procrastination. However, it is equally important to establish incremental milestones of gratification at designated intervals. Only when individuals experience pleasure and possess sufficient motivation can they refrain from procrastination and ultimately achieve the long-term objective of "delayed gratification."

The aforementioned ideas are intended as a point of reference.

Hello, host, thanks for bringing up such an important topic. I can tell you're a thoughtful person. I'd like to share my thoughts and exchange ideas with you.

1. There's a big difference between delayed gratification and procrastination.

Delayed gratification is about finding a way to escape pain when you're feeling sad, disappointed, or helpless. It's about having the strength to face things head-on and keep going until you're not overwhelmed by pain, but instead feel hope and joy ahead. This strength helps you fight against the current situation. Delayed gratification is a state of mind, and it's about having a sense of longing for yourself.

Procrastination happens when we hit roadblocks, face past challenges, or encounter parts of ourselves we'd rather avoid. It's a way of avoiding difficult situations and can lead to feelings of self-criticism.

2. What they have in common

The two things that are the same between delayed gratification and procrastination are the present moment and the goal.

1) The present is what's happening right now, including our emotions, feelings, and current self-perception. It's challenging to find complete satisfaction in the present.

2) Both have a goal, and that goal guides how we think and feel, as well as how we act.

3. Delayed gratification and procrastination lead to different results.

Delayed gratification is about setting a goal and focusing on what you can do in the present. This strategy helps you stay motivated and patient, which are both good things.

Procrastination is setting a goal, getting intimidated by how difficult it is, and then backing away from it even more. This strategy produces resistance and avoidance, which we need to get past.

4. Beat procrastination

I once wrote an article called "Overcoming Your Procrastination." The way to overcome procrastination is:

The first thing is something you can knock out easily. It'll make you feel good to get it done.

The second thing should be related to future plans. It might not be finished today, but it's good to make some progress.

The third thing is something that needs to be taken care of today.

Best of luck becoming the best version of yourself!

Hello, question asker!

Procrastination is when you leave a task for your future self to do.

When you practice delayed gratification, you're basically saving something you'll enjoy later for your future self.

At the heart of it, procrastination is a way of consuming things and behaving in ways that don't serve us. Delayed gratification is about adding value and making choices that benefit us in the long run.

The wonderful Walter Mischel, a psychologist, came up with the idea of delayed gratification. It's all about making a choice to wait for something you really want, even if it means giving up something you want right now. It also means being able to control yourself while you're waiting.

The ability to delay gratification is something we all need to develop in order to complete various tasks, coordinate interpersonal relationships, and successfully adapt to nature. It's not simply about teaching children to wait, nor is it about suppressing their desires, nor is it about allowing children to "experience only the rain and wind without seeing the rainbow." At the end of the day, it's about having the ability to overcome the current difficult situation and strive for long-term benefits.

I'll explain delayed gratification in simple terms. It means you can give up some immediate small benefits and transient pleasures for the sake of preparing for greater gains and more achievements in the future. Delayed gratification is also an expression of self-discipline.

I'd like to give you a more common example to help you understand delayed gratification.

You have two tasks in front of you. One is very important and urgent, while the other is relatively simple and can be completed quickly.

But there's another big temptation in front of you: your favorite football match is about to start! If you want to watch the match, the workload and tasks will become even heavier. But if you want to finish the work and watch the match later, you may miss some exciting moments and have to watch the recording later.

People with delayed gratification often choose to do things in a different order. They'll first complete the important task, and then reward themselves with something fun like watching a game. After that, they'll go and complete the easy task.

Some folks just can't seem to wait to watch that football match! They'd rather satisfy their own mental pleasure first, and then think about work.

At its core, delayed gratification is the polar opposite of procrastination. People who can achieve delayed gratification often have super self-discipline, while those with procrastination disorder often lack it. I truly believe that people who know how to delay gratification are more likely to achieve their goals, so delayed gratification does have some benefits.

Procrastination is a sign that you could use a little help regulating your impulses. It's a common phenomenon in life. We all have it! For example, when the alarm goes off and I want to sleep for five more minutes. I originally planned to have time to prepare for the Saturday sharing session on Wednesday, but I always put it off until Friday. Shi Tiesheng once said that the biggest drawback of procrastination is not the delay, but that it can make you hesitant and even lose confidence. No matter what, once you've made a decision, just go for it immediately. This itself can make life vibrant and maintain a proactive and happy mood. So no matter what, you must learn to reduce procrastination and slowly improve your self-discipline, so that it will be beneficial to your future.

To sum up, both "delayed gratification" and "procrastination" mean delayed in time. But when it comes to results, "delayed gratification" is a great thing! It helps us exercise our willpower and improve our ability to deal with setbacks. On the other hand, "procrastination" is often negative for individuals because it causes us to fail to complete what we want in a timely and effective manner.

I really hope my answer helps!

Hello, OP.

This is an interesting question. I will compare the two.

1.

Delayed gratification means waiting to get rewards after finishing a task.

Procrastination is putting off a task.

2.

Delayed gratification teaches people to be happy with short-term rewards and to set their sights on bigger goals. This takes more perseverance and effort, but it also gives more valuable experiences.

Procrastination is an emotion. It's when you don't want to do something and it brings you no pleasure. You put things off because you can't do it and you can't let it go. This makes you less motivated to do long-term goals.

3.

Instant gratification is natural. It's easy to get things done right away.

What drives things that can't be satisfied right away? Do we just have to procrastinate?

It's good to be able to delay gratification.

You have to be able to delay gratification to pursue long-term values and achievements.

It cancels out procrastination.

Changing your procrastination habits helps you see the impact of delayed gratification. Cultivating delayed gratification also helps with procrastination.

These are my thoughts.

I'm happy to have found this topic.

I'm helping you answer the letter.

I love you, world!