The phrase “instant gratification” has become an important part of everyday language. There are examples everywhere.
Our cuisine, entertainment, internet shopping, and even dating have all been designed to make it simpler for us to have anything we want in the shortest amount of time possible.
It is not always a negative thing if our needs are satisfied swiftly. However, it has negative consequences when it relates to the proliferation of quick-fix solutions in the digital age. There are several reasons why some impulsive, immediate gratification-driven habits may be detrimental to our health and quality of life.
How Is Instant Gratification Harmful?
Our impatience has grown as a result of the internet.
Add this to the long list of ways ubiquitous technological usage can diminish the human character by making us uneducated, preoccupied, and socially alienated.
Nothing asks us to wait in this brave new world of instant fulfillment.
Do you want to read the previously mentioned book? Order it for Kindle and begin reading it right now.
Do you want to watch the movie your colleagues were discussing at the water cooler? When you go home, relax on the sofa and watch Netflix.
Are you becoming tired of your book or movie? Simply launch Tinder and start swiping right until someone shows up at your door.
That’s without even mentioning the ever-expanding selection of on-demand products and services available in big cities like New York, San Francisco, and Seattle.
Thanks to companies like Instacart, Amazon Prime Now, and TaskRabbit, you can have practically any commodity or service delivered to your door in minutes.
While instant gratification is enjoyable, it also undermines a long-standing human virtue: the ability to wait.
Waiting isn’t a virtue in and of itself; the virtue is self-control, and your ability to wait reflects your level of self-control.
What Are Some Examples Of Instant Gratification?
There are so many examples of instant pleasure that it would be easier to list examples of delayed gratification! On the other hand, humansparticipate in delayed gratification more often than expected.
In any event, if everyone constantly looked for instant gratification, no one would travel to work before dawn unless they genuinely liked their job.
Among the most common Illustrations of sudden gratification you are likely to encounter are:
- The urge for a high-calorie treat rather than a healthy nibble.
- The urge to hit the snooze button instead of getting up early to exercise.
- The temptation to go out spending money for drinks with friends rather than finish a report or study for an exam.
- The urge to go out for drinks with your friends rather than get a good night’s sleep on a work night (a generational temptation!).
- The impulse to buy a new car that will need a high-interest loan rather than waiting until you have saved enough money to buy it without taking out a loan.
- The urge to dedicate your whole time to a new love rather than concentrating on long-term goals.
You’ve undoubtedly observed that at least one or two of these instances apply to you.
A little brief gratification now and again won’t hurt! If you frequently pick the instant reward over the long term, you may be predisposed to instant happiness.
Continue reading to learn how to overcome this bias.
Top Reasons Why You Should Delay Instant Gratification
When you wait to receive a prize to maximize its value later, this is called delayed gratification.
Momentary enjoyment of instant satisfaction might lead to a habit of seeking short-term solutions to long-term problems.
Here Are Some Of The Health Risks Associated With Fast Pleasure Principle
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The Feeling Doesn’t Last
Your unhappiness with fleeting pleasure magnifies yours wants the next time you seek contentment. This may often result in devastating and generally unanticipated consequences, such as addiction. There are several examples.
Overindulging in food, drink, or drugs, technology such as the internet, gaming, and gambling, and even apparently innocent activities such as shopping or body image via diet and fitness may become obsessive and have negative effects.
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You Can Lose Motivation and Control
Leo Babauta presents five basic concepts that might help us avoid the temptation to seek speedy enjoyment.
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Your Awareness Will Diminish
Constantly giving in to momentary wants prevents you from analyzing what’s occurring or noticing how you’re feeling or what you’re doing.
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You Lose the Moment
When you give in to your desires, your mind concentrates on immediate rewards that shut out everything else. Delaying gratification allows you to concentrate on the present moment while earning future benefits.
- Delay gratification might help you become more aware of a certain moment and learn how to experience it with serenity rather than irritation or desperation.
How To Overcome Instant Gratification
There is a bias toward required instant gratification. You don’t need to avoid every instance of instant gratification bias. Sometimes you just need the pleasure it offers.
The idea here is to strike a balance in which immediate satisfaction does not prevail in every choice you make.
Here are some suggestions for avoiding the negative impacts of immediate pleasure addiction.
Remove the cause of the distraction. For example, if you put your phone on quietly and place it in a drawer, you can go about your day without being distracted.
Consider fighting the desire when you hear your phone beep.
If the scent of doughnuts on your way home from the gym makes your stomach growl and your resolve crumble, take a different route home.
If you avoid the temptation entirely, you will find it easier to resist the impulse. Fighting the impulse is a difficult task.
Final Thoughts
Investing in the future is underappreciated. We may learn to prepare for long-term objectives and reduce our demand for immediate satisfaction through attention and repetition.
We may strike a balance and yet enjoy the finer things in life without overindulging or making mistakes that will hurt our lives.
