Immediate gratification, future regret?

We live in a world where we want everything now, where we never have to wait for anything. But we can’t have or accomplish everything now - we are limited by our time, talent and money. Something which highlights a fundamental tension in humans between seizing rewards in the present, and being patient for the rewards of the future.

Immediate gratification is nothing new. We are hardwired to follow ‘the pleasure principle’, which compels us to satisfy our needs and desires as soon as possible. What has changed is the definition of instant. Which has become ‘now’ or at best ‘a few seconds’.

Since the emergence of the internet and growth of social media, immediate gratification has unfortunately become an expectation, the norm. And, as technology moves faster and internet speeds increase, our patience grows ever thinner. 

We have become too accustomed to Same Day Delivery vs waiting days or weeks. Click and Collect vs in-store purchase. Digital Reviews vs our own lengthy research. Self-checkout vs waiting in a queue - and when we phone, we certainly don’t want to be put on hold. All of which simply feeds our hunger for immediate gratification.

As a result, attention spans are also in decline. First impression time is down to just 7 seconds and some research suggests a tenth of a second is all it takes to start forming an opinion of a person, product or service.

But is the need for immediate gratification killing our long-term success? The famous ‘Marshmallow Study’ investigated the impulsive nature of children. Showing that those able to resist immediate gratification performed better in later life: more academically and socially capable, more able to rationalise, to cope with stress, manage frustration and resist temptation.

Is all this immediate gratification ruining a long-standing human virtue: the ability to wait, to excerpt self-control? Surely we are missing out on something – the fact that waiting can be good for us.

Psychologists use the term ‘delayed gratification’. Where, instead of succumbing to the tendency for immediate gratification, we resist the allure of a lesser, more immediate reward in favour of a greater future reward. Academic studies in the fields of psychology and human accomplishment have proven that developing this core life skill strengthens character and leads to superior success in wealth accumulation, academic accomplishment, physical prowess, psychological stability and emotional strength.

The desire for immediate gratification can prevent us from achieving our long term potential. Sometimes we have to be patient and wait. Wait until the time and conditions are right. Wait until we have fully learnt our trade, built our reputation and power network. Wait until we have developed our profile to the point where we no longer have to introduce ourselves. Faster is not always better.