Instant grGratification plays a key role in everyone’s Life and Career and acts as a motivator of human behavior. It engrosses emotions, happiness, desires and a goal too. It stems from the accomplishment of social needs that might be socializing, social approval or mutual recognition.

Motivation is needed for a layman and even for a superman. Nobody is successful without motivation. There are many different factors which motivate people constantly. The outcome of true motivation is gratification. Gratification can be of either concrete or abstract, it is either a reward or a word of appreciation. Gratification happens internally or it comes from an external source, but a person needs to understand that gratification motivates much of what we do.

Instant and delayed are the two branches of gratification. People who look for instant gratification focus on the present. These people are not able to have control over their inclinations and are prone to temptations. People who search for delayed gratification will wait for the future. They maximize their pleasure by looking forward to the anticipated reward. Jake Kelfer, author and an inspirational speaker, simplified the terms by saying instant gratification is fast food on the way home whereas delayed gratification is waiting to have healthier food at home that leads to a healthier and better lifestyle.

What does Science Say?

Instant gratification is getting a cash advance on a credit card. Delayed gratification is investing in mutual bonds. These two are explained with an experiment conducted by Psychologist Walter Mischel. He placed some cookies in front of the kids and offered them a choice. They could either take one cookie each then or they could wait for a brief period of time to have two cookies. Many kids had a cookie while few kids were able to put off the urge to enjoy two cookies. He discovered that the kids who had waited for the cookies performed better in their academics than the kids who ate the cookies right away.

The psychologists claim that improving delayed gratification leads to self – control and decision – making skills. But it is not easy for everyone to improve the ability to delayed gratification, but having a realistic deadline will certainly help people out. For example, if a man sets a goal of shedding off 10 pounds in a week, he might give up as the goal might be unrealistic. A more realistic goal can be put down one pound per week will let him see good results of his efforts.

Delayed gratification improves one’s problem-solving skills, will power and ability to reach the goals faster. It makes a person optimistic and resilient. It teaches you the benefits of hard work. Delayed gratification reinforces the value of your work. It gives self – motivation and leads to greater success in life. It improves mental health and helps to improve healthy habits. Delayed gratification has become the most effective trait of successful people. According to Aristotle, true happiness entails delaying pleasure. A life of purpose, aligned with the seeking of true happiness, creates real joy. It keeps one’s happiness meter pretty steady throughout one’s life.