Not long ago, I read James Clear's book about how to develop good habits and get rid of bad ones. I won't say that the main ideas of the book impressed me greatly, but overall, I find it quite useful for many people. There was one thought in this book that resonated with me significantly, and I fully agree with it. I will try to describe my thoughts below, occasionally adding quotes from the book.
So, the discussion will be about how people who can wait achieve much more in life. I already knew this idea beforehand, as I have encountered this pattern in my life more than once. Friends and acquaintances who cannot wait have always achieved less than I have. When I just graduated from high school and went on to study, my classmates and friends were already securing their finances in the early years. At that time, it was very impressive; they were partially or even fully supporting themselves. Meanwhile, I was studying first in college and then at university, combining my studies with a low-paying job. After about eight years since high school, the situation changed dramatically. I gained financial independence from my parents, can afford to buy an apartment or a car, and also help my relatives financially. I still have room to grow in terms of intellect, knowledge, and earnings. Most importantly, I have developed all the mechanisms to continue my development. At the same time, my classmates have remained at approximately the same level. Inflation is eating away at their already small salaries, and they have families that they cannot support, living paycheck to paycheck. Rarely observing some acquaintances from social media from a distance, you realize that in their lives, there will likely be no significant changes in terms of intellectual self-development and financial well-being for the foreseeable future. By choosing the most accessible and simple option back then, most of them still live by the rules of immediate gratification (which will be discussed further). I probably wouldn't have written an article on this topic if I hadn't learned from the author that this behavior is more characteristic of the animal world than of humans. It was also interesting to find out that people who can wait for rewards are less susceptible to alcohol dependence, stress, obesity, and other harmful habits and problems. It turns out that this pattern directly correlates with a test conducted by universities for admission to higher education institutions. However, I will provide quotes from the author of the book below regarding everything mentioned.
Imagine you are an animal roaming the African plains—a giraffe, an elephant, or a lion. On any given day, most decisions have an immediate impact on what happens. You are constantly thinking about what to eat, where to sleep, or how to hide from a predator. You are always focused on the present or very near future. As scientists say, you live in an environment of immediate response because your actions consistently lead to clear and instant results.
Now, let's return to our "human" reality. In modern society, many decisions you make today will not yield any benefits right away. If you work hard, you will receive your paycheck in a couple of weeks. If you exercise today, you won't be overweight next year. If you save money now, you will have enough for retirement in a few decades. We live in a delayed response environment, as you may have to work for decades before your actions bear the desired fruit.
The human brain is not adapted for life in a delayed response environment. The earliest remains of modern humans, known as Homo sapiens, date back approximately 200,000 years. These were the first people whose brains were relatively comparable to ours. In particular, the neocortex—the newest part of the brain responsible for higher nervous functions, such as speech—was approximately the same size as it is today. Yes, you are walking around with the same hardware in your head as your ancestors from the Paleolithic era. It is only recently—over the last 500 years or so—that society has predominantly transformed into a delayed response environment.When you understand how the brain prioritizes rewards, the answer becomes clear: the consequences of bad habits take time to manifest, while pleasure can be obtained right now. Smoking will kill you in ten years, but right now it helps you cope with stress and alleviates nicotine withdrawal.
With good habits, it's the opposite: there is no immediate pleasure from the result, but the future outcome is promising. The French economist Frédéric Bastiat accurately described this problem: "It almost always turns out that if the immediate consequence is pleasant, the later consequences are harmful, and vice versa... Very often, the sweeter the first fruits of a habit, the more bitter its later fruits." In other words, the costs of good habits belong to the present. The costs of bad habits belong to the future.
We all want to live well in the future. However, when the moment of decision arrives, immediate rewards usually take precedence. You are no longer making decisions for Your Future Self, who dreams of being slimmer, wealthier, or happier. You are choosing for Your Present Self, who wants to indulge, treat themselves, and have fun. The general rule is: the quicker you receive pleasure from an action, the more seriously you should consider whether it contradicts your long-term goals.
The brain tends to overestimate dangers that seem threatening in the present moment, even though the likelihood of these threats occurring is nearly zero. For example, the fear that your plane will crash during mild turbulence, that a burglar will break into your home while you are alone, or that terrorists will blow up the bus you are riding on. At the same time, it underestimates what seems to be a threat in the distant future, even though the probability is much higher: you will accumulate fat if you eat unhealthy food; your muscles will weaken if you sit at a desk all the time; and your workplace will become cluttered with unnecessary items if you do not clean up.
People who are able to delay gratification tend to achieve better SAT scores (SAT Reasoning Test – a standardized test for college admissions in the United States), are less likely to become addicted to alcohol and drugs, are less prone to obesity, handle stress better, and possess advanced social skills.
