Delayed Gratification

In the long span of the evolutionary timeline, we have evolved to be extremely goal-oriented in our actions as a species. We view things in the world in the light of our goals. Upon seeing an object we might see the utilizable tool in it as fast as we identify what the object is if not faster.

A goal that you set for yourself can tremendously alter the way you view things, as it narrows down a substantial amount of your attention to what is relevant to your goal and the rest of your sensory input might be tossed out of the window. Therefore it is important to identify what goals you set for yourself because it defines the way you view things and consequently also defines your creativity.

Now everyone has goals, in fact, literally every action has a goal since there’s always a reason behind the actions that we choose to undertake, whether it be leisure simply or a more productive goal that you’re working towards.

This is where the concept of “Delayed Gratification” comes in, which is basically a fancy phrase for putting off “goals” that might not be as fruitful as other goals even if it feels inconvenient in that particular moment, for the sake of achieving something greater in a farther future.

Examples of this are abundant: Like when putting off playing video games in order to study, or skipping dessert to lose weight, or taking a job you don’t love but that will help your career later on, and so on and so forth.

However, there is also a high correlation between this concept and personality. Those who are more on the conscientious side of the personality spectrum tend to do better and have an easier time implementing this concept in their lives.

Conscientiousness is a personality measure in the Big 5 Personality Model that deals with the tendency to be responsible, organized, hard-working, goal-directed, and to adhere to norms and rules. Therefore, if you score low on this particular trait you are going to have a harder time seeing to your tasks and you might need to put in more effort into it.

This is probably one of the reasons why conscientiousness is such a big predictor of success in the workplace. What this means is that people who are on the lower side of this particular trait aren’t genetically wired to prioritize well and need to put in the additional effort required to gain the willpower to do what is best. But it is achievable nonetheless, and well worth it.

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The Voice is committed to publishing a diversity of opinions. The views expressed in this Editorial are those of the author, and do not necessarily represent the views of the AUIS Voice editorial staff or AUIS in general.

- Lezan Majid