Are You Permanently Impatient? Well, There’s A Good Reason

PEDESTRIAN.TV has partnered with Deakin University to figure out why we need everything this bloody instant. They’re holding a ‘Cash Conundrum’ comp atm that tests that very notion – $5K now or $10K in three years? DECISIONS. DECISIONS. Find out more + enter HERE.

If you were craving a spoonful of Nutella (like the average, v. normal human) but were only allowed one scoop if you wanted it right this second, or you could have several scoops if you waited a little while longer, which would you choose? 

Now, easy. Why? Because no matter how logical and more satisfying the other option is in the long run, we know what we want – and what we want, is to have it NOW. We’re needy, greedy mother flippers that wait for no one or no thing. 

But no matter how many people pin this on technology, it ain’t all about getting instant gratification from some double-taps. We’ve been this way for a while now. Buckle up – this explanation won’t take long (promise) and it might help you calm your farm when patience is necessary.

 

WE DON’T CARE ‘BOUT THE FUTURE

We think about things in the short-term because unfortunately a lot of us are under the impression that we won’t make it to the long-term. You know, that we’ll die or something. Acting now can be a good and bad thing – good for your spontaneity and satisfaction levels, bad for your retirement plan and liver. It’s that whole “here for a good time not a long time” mentality and look, I’m right there with you.

Pedro Diaz, Founder of the Mental Health Recovery Institute, said:

“There’s a famous Marshmallow study – in it they gave some children some marshmallows. They had the option to either eat them straight away or wait for the researcher to come back and then they’d get double the marshmallows. The study showed that some can wait and others can’t. It was thought that being able to ‘delay gratification’ led to better outcomes later in life.

But, the question here is, is there a guarantee that there’s really going to be double the amount of marshmallows if we wait? We don’t trust that so much anymore. Why? We’ve seen our parents’ generation save and wait and then get sick, or conditions change. We’ve also seen workplaces become less loyal to their workers. We’ve lost faith in life and the system. That can make it hard to wait.”

EVERYTHING’S AT OUR FINGERTIPS

There’s a reason city people (myself included) are far more annoying / rushed than folks from the burbs. Inner-city peeps have convenience stores on every corner, trains that come every other minute and a hookup at the drop of a swipe. Put it this way – if I was in a country town and wanted a burger, I’d probably push aside that craving knowing it’d be a mission if I needed to fulfil it right that minute. In the city? I’d just order it from UberEats. Sometimes it’s just too easy to get what we want right this instant.


THINGS ARE CHANGIN’ FAR TOO QUICKLY

There’s an element of freak-out amongst everyone alive right now. Is the profession you’re studying going to exist once you finish your degree? Is someone going to execute your million-dollar idea before you get the chance to? If we wait for this ‘delayed gratification’, it might bite us in the ass.

Side note: this can be an issue when it comes to business as you’ve got to combine your need for speed with patience. Such conflicting concepts are known as “patient urgency”, which is what Chunka Mui from Forbes describes as “the combination of foresight to prepare for a big idea, willingness to wait for the right market conditions, and agility to act straight away when conditions ripen.” 


WE’RE TOO AVAILABLE FOR OUR OWN GOOD

One of the things we expect straight away are responses. If you get an email after hours? You’re kinda expected to have seen it. If you get a text during work hours? You’re kinda expected to have seen it. On that note, if you don’t receive something back in return from a message you put out there, you can start feeling even more needy and impatient. It’s a real hoot when it comes to relationships, be it personal, sexy or platonic.

Next time you feel a bit crap for seeming like such a desperado, remember that we’re all in the same boat and almost hardwired this way.

Reckon you’re actually very patient? Let’s test that theory. Would you rather win $5K now or $10K in three years? It’s a tough Q – one that’s currently being asked by the folks over at Deakin University. If you wanna have a chance to face that v. attractive conundrum, enter HERE. It’s not just a hypothetical – you’ll legitimately score the actual cash if you win.


Photo: RuPaul’s Drag Race.

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