Delayed gratification seems like a thing of the past because in today’s society everybody just wants everything NOW. There is no such thing as waiting anymore and instant gratification has taken on almost epidemic proportions.
Our thinking has been programmed to the point where we think we can get what we want, when we want it without delay, which can be a dangerous game to play. Delayed gratification on the other hand demands a certain amount of willpower and self control to delay a pleasurable moment right now, for an even bigger reward later.
Reality is though, our culture is obsessed with instant gratification to avoid pain in the moment and encourages Band-Aid solutions and temporary comfort rather than delaying pleasure for the bigger purpose. However, learning to delay gratification comes with a plethora of benefits as the now famous Marshmallow Experiment from the 1970’s shows.
In 1972 the psychologist Walter Mischel did an experiment on young children, where they were promised a second marshmallow, if he or she could refrain from eating the one right in front of them when the researcher left the room for 15 minutes. The study follow these children over the next 40 years and found that the ones who were able to resist the temptation of eating the marshmallow were significantly more successful in life.
Let’s have a look at our TOP 10 benefits of delayed gratification.
#1 Delayed Gratification Makes You More Appreciative
When you learn how to delay gratification, you will cultivate the skill of appreciation. Making a careful decision about what you want and saving money to get it, makes you appreciate and care for the object a lot more than if you would have just bought it right away in the moment. Waiting and saving means that you make a sacrifice for a little while and when you finally get what you were looking for, you will treat it like gold. And when you appreciate what you got, it can last a lot longer.
#2 Delayed Gratification Boosts Excitement and Happiness
Another reason to wait for what you want is that you increase your excitement and happiness once you get it. Research reveals though that waiting for an experience makes you much more excited than waiting to buy a tangible object. On top of that, the excitement for example that you build up before a vacation is almost as incredible as the vacation itself, so you get double the excitement and happiness if you have to wait a little bit before the experience actually happens.
#3 Delayed Gratification Builds Personal Power
If you wait and don’t act on impulse in the moment, you have to exhibit control. Just think about a river that is channeled into a narrow conduit. The force the water builds up becomes a lot more powerful and the same happens to you when you control your unconscious drives, urges and appetite. No matter if it’s desire, energy, power or money, if you let it accumulate, it will only make your life richer and more fulfilling.
#4 Delayed Gratification Develops Character
There is something incredible about a person who has achieved a certain level through discipline and hard work. If you can wait, you will experience a deeper sense of personal fulfillment, power and mastery than someone who simply wins the lottery will ever find. Avoiding short cuts and delaying gratification will build character and mental strength that will get you much further in life than if would you fulfill every little whim in an instant.
#5 Delayed Gratification Boosts Motivation
As we mentioned earlier with the Marshmallow Experiment, being able to delay gratification leads to greater success in life. And the reason why is that the study showed that the children who were able to wait for the second marshmallow developed a lot higher levels of self-motivation than the ones who couldn’t wait. And with that you create a positive circle of success and motivation. The more success you reach, the higher your motivation and the more motivated you are, the more success you will be able to achieve. It’s a win-win.
#6 Delayed Gratification Builds Impulse Control
A lot of us, no matter what age or status, struggle with impulse control. However, it is crucial to learn how to control your impulses in every day life because lack of impulse control can lead to financial difficulties as well as an unhealthy lifestyle or even worse, addiction and reckless behavior. When you learn to delay your gratification and instead plan for future events or purchases, you can reinforce impulse control in just about any area of your life. We are not saying acting impulsively can’t have its advantages, however, if you learn to control your impulses, you will be able to control your life and stir it in the direction you want.
#7 Delayed Gratification Makes You Healthier
Delayed gratification can have a huge impact on just about any area of our life, including our health and well-being. One way of instant gratification is to indulge in any food that is right in front of us and in a misguided effort to save time, we go for fast food, which unfortunately is incredibly unhealthy. In terms of food, you are much better of delaying your gratification and spending time cooking your own healthy, nutrient-dense food. Delaying gratification can also have an impact on our mental health as studies reveal that people who are able to delay gratification are generally calmer, more goal-oriented, happier and enjoy life a lot more.
#8 Delayed Gratification Can Save Us Money
Most of the time, resisting the urge to follow our impulse to purchase a product will save us money later. If you decide to save up for the experience or item you are looking to buy you make a much more conscious decision and evaluate if you really want or need to make that purchase and whether or not you can actually save up for it. A lot of people just grab their credit cards to get instant gratification and have to deal with outrageous interest rates and high fees later. If you wait to make your purchase you will be able to save a lot of money without having to rely on credit that will later turn into extra cash. Additionally, resisting the temptation to buy something instantly will help us to not spend a ton of money on things that we don’t actually want or need.
#9 Delayed Gratification Teaches Benefits of Hard Work
Learning to delay gratification teaches us the benefit of hard work. For example, if you save money instead of spending it on a whim will give you renewed appreciation for the work you have to put in, in order to earn that money. Frivolous spending is generally the result of following our desire for instant gratification. However, getting something that proudly shows off your hard work will make you work even harder and gives you job satisfaction and with that delayed gratification reinforces the value of your hard work.
#10 Delayed Gratification Eliminates Guilt
Whenever we cave to the temptation of instant gratification, it always comes with the side effect of a small amount of guilt. Sometimes it is financial guilt because we spent money on an impulsive decision that makes us feel long-term drawbacks that can make us no longer enjoy our purchase. On the other hand, putting off work in order to go to a party will also lead to feelings of guilt about not fulfilling our obligations and putting pleasure ahead of work and with that we won’t be able to enjoy the party. If you can learn the skill of delaying gratification, you will feel a lot less guilt and will be more at peace, happier and joyful in life.
Delaying gratification can be challenging, especially when we consider the uncertainty whether or not we will actually receive our reward later. However, multiple studies show that if you develop the ability to put off your immediate desires in order to pursue long-term goals, you will be much more likely to achieve success in life.
WAIT FOR WHAT YOU WANT TO LIVE A LIFE OF SUCCESS AND HEALTH
Joschi & Monika
#BoldNaked