What Is Delayed Gratification?

Just like in nature, healthy bodies and minds take time to grow. While there is often nothing wrong with enjoying life’s pleasures from time to time, it may be helpful to remember that some of the best things in life may not be immediately apparent and can take time to cultivate. 

Impulsivity and the desire for instant gratification are behaviors that are a natural human inclination easily satisfied in this time. However, the contemporary focus on immediate satisfaction can be detrimental to our well-being in the long run by distracting us from the long-term effects our habits have on our mental health and general well-being. 

Read on to learn more. 

What is delayed gratification?

Delayed gratification is the ability to resist impulses for immediate satisfaction in exchange for a later, potentially more valuable reward. The ability to delay gratification often requires the development of skills such as self-control, mindfulness, and patience. 

Delaying gratification often involves overriding natural tendencies and impulses in favor of making choices that will bring enduring benefits, rather than immediate reward or pleasure. It can require developing one’s ego resiliency - the ability to control innate impulses that may not serve our long-term well-being. 

An ego defense mechanism is an unconscious process designed to defend us from danger and ensure our survival by decreasing the effects of external stressors. For this reason, the ego tends to prioritize short-term gratification for its own benefit over what would be best for our long-term success. Combined with feelings of anxiety, this can lead us into a pattern of making decisions based on emotions and instant reactions rather than reason. 

Emotions, however, are often fleeting and consistently shift over time. As such, individuals who lack ego control may be more inclined to succumb to immediate temptations at the expense of any goals or a deeper understanding of what is right for them.

The marshmallow test 

One of the most famous experiments to measure this ability is the "marshmallow test," first conducted in the 1960s by Stanford University psychologist Walter Mischel. 

The test involved placing a child in front of a marshmallow and informing them that they would receive two if they waited 15 minutes to eat it instead of eating it right away. The researchers then observed how long the child would wait before giving in and consuming just one marshmallow. 

The results showed that the children who were able to delay gratification and wait longer were more likely to display better educational outcomes, higher SAT scores, and more success later in life than those who chose not to wait for the delayed reward. 

The results of the marshmallow test have had significant implications for understanding how humans think about immediate versus delayed rewards. Studies have highlighted how our brains are wired to prioritize short-term rewards over long-term gratification, but they also suggest that this trait is not conducive to our modern lifestyle. It can help to understand that these inclinations for short-term rewards are perfectly natural, but being mindful of the long-term effects may help to provide balance to our decision-making capabilities. 

The cycle of instant gratification

The cycle of instant gratification often begins with an impulse, something that stimulates an emotion or creates a need. This type of behavior releases dopamine and other pleasure hormones that create an addiction-like response. Once the trigger is activated, we often experience an urge to engage in similar behaviors that promise the same type of immediate pleasure. 

As people continue to seek out these experiences, they can become conditioned to expect fast rewards without considering the consequences or how the actions match their convictions. With an inability to delay gratifications or resist temptations, people are likely to give in to these urges and seek out things that promise immediate satisfaction despite the negative effects over time.

In one study, researchers looked at the role that impulsivity played in mental health outcomes and overall well-being. In their study, they discovered that impulsive behavioral tendencies led individuals to be at a higher risk for developing addiction, mental health disorders, and chronic health conditions.

Mindfulness and healthy new habits that promote delayed gratification can be a powerful step in breaking this cycle, especially when practiced consistently over time. 

Benefits of practicing delayed gratification

For someone to successfully practice delayed gratification, it can be important to recognize and understand why constantly seeking immediate rewards may be harmful. This growth can be attained by identifying when their ego desires are preventing them from achieving real growth. From this knowledge, they can begin to practice habits they know are best for them.

In one study, researchers investigated the effects that delayed gratification had on children’s overall mental and physical well-being. In their study, their team discovered that a higher tendency to practice delayed gratification led to more positive long-term outcomes that include higher intelligence, improved social responsibility, and a decreased risk to develop mental health disorders such as depression, addiction, and antisocial personality disorder (ASPD).

Through practicing delayed gratification, individuals may be more apt to reduce the focus on their own desires by replacing short-term instant gratification with a longer-term goal that may have more meaningful rewards. With this shift in mindset, people may become more aware of the bigger picture around them and can start to focus on how their daily habits may add up over time.

In addition to providing greater benefits for themselves and other people around them, practicing delayed gratification can also help individuals develop greater self-control and mastery over their own behavior. This can increase individual resilience against negative influences which can lead to improved well-being over time.

Strategies for developing self-control

Developing impulse control is often an important aspect of delayed gratification, as it can help individuals maintain healthy behaviors and stay focused on long-term goals. The following strategies can help you develop a practice that promotes self-control and the ability to delay gratification.

Meditation 

Meditation can be an effective tool for practicing delayed gratification, as it teaches people to become more mindful of the choices they make before taking action. 

Meditation can help people recognize the connection between their present actions and the desired outcomes they want for their future selves. With regular meditation practice, individuals are often encouraged to have greater self-awareness of their behavior when faced with difficult decisions or setbacks. Through this heightened awareness, they may be better able to evaluate the consequences of each choice and develop the ability to consider their choices before taking action. 

By becoming more attuned to these inner dynamics, individuals can learn how certain wants may lead them astray from what they value most in life. As such, meditation can help people better understand the importance of resisting temptations that offer short-term pleasure while sacrificing long-term gains. 

Identify your long-term goals 

When someone identifies their long-term objectives, they may be able to better understand what steps they need to take daily to achieve those goals. This clarity can allow them to see how delaying immediate gratification may benefit them in the future. 

Identifying long-term goals may also provide mental support during times when it is difficult for someone not to give in to an immediate reward. Having this clear understanding can create motivation and encourage self-discipline that allows someone to successfully practice deferred gratification. With concrete objectives in mind, it may be easier for someone to understand why it’s important for them to resist short-term temptations and practice letting go of the temptation of always desiring pleasurable stimulation.

Develop habits that reinforce delayed gratification

Building healthy habits such as exercising regularly, eating healthy meals, and getting enough sleep can help improve one’s ability to delay gratification.

Regular exercise helps to reduce stress levels and can also help build self-discipline and motivation, which are essential for gaining mastery over delaying gratification. Exercising itself may be one of the most potent forms of delayed gratification that can help train the mind to find pleasure in the process of delayed gratification. 

Practicing creative habits and building skills may also help people cultivate delayed gratification. Creative activities such as drawing, writing, or painting are often positive outlets for building impulse control. When engaging in creative projects, we can learn to focus on the task at hand and resist our impulses to seek distractions. Studies have shown that creative engagement is a predictor of mental resilience and healthy cognitive functioning in the long term. 

Online therapy

Online therapy can help individuals develop the skills needed to improve the ability to practice delayed gratification (i.e., mindfulness and emotional self-control). Online therapy can also be a flexible way for people to connect with mental health professionals who understand the needs of those facing mental illness. This form of therapy may be more convenient for individuals who may experience anxiety related to voicing intimate personal thoughts and emotions related to their mental health during in-person sessions.

For example, in one study, researchers examined the efficacy of online cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) in addressing impulsivity and related mental health conditions, anxiety and depression. The study authors found that internet-delivered CBT was an effective form of treatment as participants practiced mindfulness skills and other coping mechanisms to create healthier patterns of thinking and behavior.