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Delayed gratification is an essential factor in understanding human psychology and professional success. Many people believe that delayed gratification contributes to personal prosperity and leads to achievement. There are different opinions on this matter, and for practical analysis, it is necessary to consider other points of view. Delayed gratification is one of the main manifestations of patience and willpower, which is evidence of a strong character. Certainly, as a rule, people with strong character achieve success. Besides, it is necessary to consider the marshmallow experiment, the results of which indicate the veracity of the statement about the dependence of success on delayed gratification. The purpose of the work is to critically evaluate whether delayed gratification affects professional success based on a variety of opinions and demonstrate own opinion in this regard.
Delayed gratification is part of long-term thinking and manifestation of the strength of will. Considering the example of saving money for retirement through cigarettes or a cup of coffee, one may notice how long-term perspective manifests itself. In other words, at the expense of the present moment, one will benefit in the future. However, the problem is that, according to scientists, the human brain is predisposed to thinking at the moment (Nenkov, 2019). Thus, throughout the history of human evolution, the brain has been tuned in such a way as to analyze the current situation and immediately respond to danger. It articulates the difficulty of delayed gratification since the future is not prioritized over the present moment.
The difficulty lies in the fact that, given the historical perspective and the rapid development of the modern world, the human brain does not have time to adapt to the new pace. In the past, short-term thinking was important for the individual in the context of survival (Nenkov, 2019). However, today, when a person’s lifestyle implies a civilized existence, such things are not a priority. Additionally, long-term thinking is not beneficial for some businesses, as to sell more goods, it is necessary that the population does not deny themselves immediate pleasure. It includes baked goods, fast food, restaurants, entertainment centers, game consoles, and others.
The example of saving money for retirement is an obvious demonstration of the personal economic benefit of delayed gratification. By forgoing a cake now, the money will have proceeded in one’s account in the future. Moreover, patience formulates a virtue if one is willing to demonstrate it during the preparation, planning, and completion of any process (Norling, 2015). It is also worth noting that patience, as the basis of delayed gratification, is one of the character traits of leaders, which contributes to professional success (Folta et al., 2012). In other words, the leader usually has the ability to predict the situation and think in the long term. As it was identified, long-distance thinking is the key aspect of the manifestation of delayed gratification.
It is worth noting about the decision-making mechanism, including those related to delayed gratification. Thereby, some people can easily give up cake and go on a diet, however, others postpone the diet over and over again. Remarkably, various people perceive the value of things differently, moreover, the comparison changes the value of things. For example, in the case when the most expensive thing among the rest becomes the average price, its value has changed from the buyer’s perspective (Gilbert, 2005). However, in fact, only the price of the object has changed, namely the number, but not the value of this item. It is similar to how the value of an object changes for some people depending on their goals. That is, when one decides to go on a diet, due to specific thinking, the value of the cake falls, however, the value of long-term results increases.
Further, delayed gratification as part of patience and determination is an important component of financial success. Therefore, high levels of patience indicate success in terms of investment in people involved in finance and stocks (Miller, 2005). It is because patience and delayed gratification, again, are part of long-term thinking. In turn, long-distance thinking includes the ability to predict the situation. Indeed, such traits and skills are essential in investments and financial transactions. Forecasting helps to determine the most profitable option through analysis based on existing events. Patience encourages decision-making without haste at the right moment in time, which helps avoid risks and generate income.
In this regard, it is worth considering the experiment conducted at Stanford University’s nursery school in the 1960s. Walter Mischel, an American psychologist, found that children exhibiting delayed gratification in the future demonstrated better test scores and professional success (Mischel, 2014). The trial is called the marshmallow experiment, in which children were offered a double portion of marshmallows if they were patient and ignored a single serving (Mischel, 2015). As a result, those individuals who exhibited delayed gratification and did not eat a single marshmallow were more successful in SAT testing (Baid, 2020). Moreover, in the future, they demonstrated higher various indices of quality of life. However, a criticism of this test lies in the fact that background factors should be taken into account. For example, the notion that some children from wealthy families had more treats at home, and therefore marshmallows were not so significant for them.
Furthermore, the basic principle of the psychological action of delayed gratification is beneficial to the individual. Indeed, it is helpful for professional success, personal discipline, and academic progress. However, there is also the psychological effect of delayed gratification, which impacts the outcome of the action. In simple words, when one gets what one wants over a certain period of time, the pleasure from what one receives will be higher (Jarvis & Okami, 2019). To vividly demonstrate this psychological phenomenon, one should use the example of one having thirst. That is, when a person drinks water before or after a meal, without feeling thirsty, one does not get strong emotions. However, after a lot of time in the heat, being thirsty, and having a glass of cold water, one will get strong feelings of satisfaction.
Thus, delayed gratification seems to be beneficial for professional success, academic progress, and personal mood. However, from a philosophical point of view, denying oneself something may seem inappropriate. The main reason for this is the uncertainty of the future, that is, the money that one has set aside for retirement may not be needed by one for various reasons. Thus, the fact that one denied oneself a cake was made for nothing could affect the level of happiness. Moreover, many adhere to a lifestyle whose central principle is “live as if there is no tomorrow.” It is problematic to univocally determine what is correct since, as it was already noted, no one can guarantee future events.
Onwards, it is worth noting that some research shows that the relationship between success and patience/delayed gratification is not straightforward. Thereby, the author points out that despite the results of studies showing a positive effect, they are not accurate and do not take into account many factors (Watts et al., 2018). After conducting more extensive studies, it was found that the correlation disappears when some aspects are analyzed. These points include early social interaction, hereditary factors, and demographic characteristics. In other words, patience and delayed gratification, although it has some influence on future success, is not fundamental condition.
In addition, the paper proposes a different view on the concept of “patience” as the basis of delayed gratification. Thus, the authors indicate that “patience” should be considered a more global notion in the context of the impact on the personal success (Barragan et al., 2018). In other words, exercising patience in a certain situation may harm the person rather than a benefit. However, patience as a global character trait on the scale of human life profits more than harms. Additionally, it is worth remembering that there are many factors that affect a particular situation. These factors should be taken into account when making a decision and analyzing whether patience is optimal in specific conditions.
To conclude, it is worth stating that one should adhere to a balance when analyzing the situation and when making a decision. In the same way, when building a life strategy, in order to succeed, it is necessary to maintain a balance and analyze each situation separately. In the analysis, one must take into account the specific factors influencing the decision. In other words, the notion that delayed gratification is a major factor in professional success is true, however, it has some peculiarities. These features include demographic and social aspects, as shown by additional studies and experiments. For some people, a lifestyle of delayed gratification may seem unreasonable in the context of the uncertainty of the future. Finally, while the marshmallow experiment showed a relationship between delayed gratification and personal success, extensive experiments dispute this. It is mainly due to the need to take into account more background aspects.
References
Baid, G. (2020). The joys of compounding: The passionate pursuit of lifelong learning. Columbia University Press.
Barragan, J. G., Atance, C.M., Hopfensitz, A., Stieglitz, J., & Cauchoix, M. (2019). Commentary: Revisiting the marshmallow test: a conceptual replication investigating links between early delay of gratification and later outcomes. Frontiers in Psychology, 9, 2719.
Folta, S.C., Seguin, R.A., Ackermann, J., & Nelson, M. (2012). A qualitative study of leadership characteristics among women who catalyse positive change. BMC Public Health, 12, 383.
Gilbert, D. (2005). Why we make bad decisions. [Video]. TED.
Jarvis, M., & Okami, P. (2019). Principles of psychology: Contemporary perspectives. Oxford University Press.
Miller, M. S. (2005). The Warren Buffett methodology: Are patience and fortitude determinants of success? Honors Theses
Mischel, W. (2014). The marshmallow test: Understanding self-control and how to master it. Penguin.
Mischel, W. (2015, May 11). The marshmallow test. [Video]. YouTube.
Nenkov, S. (2019). Short-term thinking is a long-term problem. Worldquant Perspectives
Norling, M. P. (2009). In innovation, is patience a virtue? Research-Technology Management, 52(3), 18-23.
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