14 DAY TRIAL // Scientists at the University of Colorado in Boulder (UCB) determined in a new study that impulsivity and procrastination are two traits of the human brain that share a similar evolutionary origin. In addition, the team found that the two were linked genetically, shedding some new light on how these types of behaviors develop in otherwise balanced individuals.
One of the conclusions that the new investigation is proposing is that our ability to pursue and switch between goals may have something to do with procrastination and impulsivity. The research group, led by psychological scientist Daniel Gustavson, PhD, was interested in figuring out why some people are more likely to spend their time thinking about stuff than their peers.
“Everyone procrastinates at least sometimes, but we wanted to explore why some people procrastinate more than others and why procrastinators seem more likely to make rash actions and act without thinking,” explains Gustavson, who is the lead author of a new paper detailing the findings. The work is published in the latest issue of the journal Psychological Science, PsychCentral reports.
The expert believes that figuring out the answer to this mystery could enable researchers to gain a wealth of new data about the nature of procrastination, why this phenomenon occurs, and how its effects on the human mind and behavior can be minimized or otherwise mitigated. One of the assumptions the team set out from was that impulsivity, for example, makes evolutionary sense.
This is because our distant ancestors were more likely to engage in actions that brought immediate rewards, rather than plan for a week or a month in advance. When your next day on this planet may be your last, satisfying urges as they occur was the evolutionarily-sound thing to do. Conversely, experts say, procrastination is much younger in our species.
Scientists say that this phenomenon might be occurring whenever we become impulsive and get distracted from our long-term goals. The link between impulsivity and procrastination makes a lot more sense from this vantage point. However, the exact nature of the biological, environmental, and cognitive influences that underlie this link continue to remain largely hidden to researchers.
“Learning more about the underpinnings of procrastination may help develop interventions to prevent it, and help us overcome our ingrained tendencies to get distracted and lose track of work,” Gustavson argues. The genetic explanation is supported by the results of studies on twins, which have revealed more similarities in terms of impulsivity and procrastination between identical rather than fraternal twins.