The Creative Instinct

Have you ever given up something pleasurable now in order to reap greater rewards later? That’s delayed gratification. And I’ll bet you’ve also decided to blow the consequences and take the pleasure now. That’s instant gratification.

In this post I’m going to present the standard arguments for delayed gratification and against instant gratification. Then in the posts that follow I’ll look at whether anything is ever quite so simple.

The Importance of a Marshmallow

There was a remarkable study using children’s (in)ability to resist a marshmallow that had some amazing results. Psychologists gave some lucky four-year olds a marshmallow. Then they told the child that they could eat it straight away - or save it for twenty minutes and be rewarded with a second marshmallow.

Of course some kids scoffed the marshmallow immediately, some tried to resist the temptation but gave in, and some others actually managed to hold out for their prize - though not without agonies of squirming, shall-I-shan’t-I temptation. It must have been superbly entertaining for the experimenters.

Anyhow - the point of this beautifully designed torture was to follow the kids as they grew and developed, and find out if there was a link between the early ability to delay gratification and how well or badly these children did in later life. There have been many similar studies and the correlations are astonishing - consistently showing that those tending towards instant gratification did worse than those who managed to hold out for that extra marshmallow, bigger candy bar or extra dollar (depending on the experiment).

And the delayed gratification kids do better over a range of measurements - from better school results, improved relationships, higher incomes and more reported happiness. They’re also less likely to have problems with stuff like drink and drugs.

Narrow Definition of Success

So the results are pretty compelling - though it’s worth noting that much of the personal development literature available assumes a very narrow definition of success that basically means things like traditional career, position and salary. Nothing wrong with that, but not necessarily the drivers for the dedicated creative soul - though we might easily argue that there are equivalent desires for success in the arts, writing, music, etc.

Denied Gratification?

Because delayed gratification is more complex than the experiments assume (it’s rarely one marshmallow now for two later in real life), there’s a sense in which the trade seems much more like denied gratification. It seems to be life’s little luxuries that lose out - it’s the late nights, the extra drink, the burger or the full fat French cheese, the latest whizz-bang gadgets or being seduced by the current TV fad.
And it makes you wonder - aren’t those delayed gratification types just so deadly dull? Can’t they just lighten up and enjoy the moment?

Well - yes they can - it’s just that unlike those under the spell of instant gratification they get to choose: some gratification now, or more later. Delayed gratification is not denied gratification, it’s a trade off where the trade is to your advantage.

‘Empty’ and ‘Negative’ Gratification

There’s also another little detail that’s worth mentioning - and that is that much of the instant temptation we succumb to is ‘empty’ - it’s passive, temporary and actually makes us feel worse about ourselves afterwards. In fact in terms of achieving growth and success, and in terms of maintaining health and vitality there are often all too clear negative impacts to instant gratification.

But the trouble is that in our western culture almost every waking moment is bombarded with messages selling instant gratification. Most of our advertising is based on it. Buy this car, TV, cosmetic, perfume, music, drink, burger and not only do you get the product, you also magically receive an aura of ’success’ that the adverts tell you come with it - irresistible charm, affluence, exotic and exciting lifestyles, amazing skills, happy families… did I miss anything… of course… lots of sex.

So we buy - we feel the promised magical properties rubbing on to us, feel the rush of pleasure and triumph - and then a couple of days later, when the magic has worn off again, feel the need for another consumerist hit.

Rich Thinking and Poor Thinking

No wonder some experts liken delayed and instant gratification to ‘rich’ thinking and ‘poor’ thinking. Guess which is which.

How to Make Delayed Gratification Easier

According to many pundits exercising delayed gratification is all about self-control, discipline and willpower. There’s a certain moralistic tint goes with this argument, a judgement that the delayed gratification type is somehow ‘better’. That’s ridiculous. More effective perhaps, but then so were Hitler, Stalin and Pol Pot. Effectiveness does not make you a better person, and neither does delayed gratification.

Self-control, discipline and willpower do help, but I believe there’s another factor that is way more important - the ability to visualize the outcomes of your chosen actions. When we can see only the instant rewards it’s no contest.

But a vivid awareness of the fuller impacts of our choices not only makes the negative outcomes of instant gratification more real, it does the same for those far-away positive outcomes of delayed gratification. And that makes it much, much easier to do the right thing.

Years back, when I was a college English Lecturer, I learned the value of this kind of visualization for my students. So when I set work for them I would also explain the tangible benefit to them of doing the work - namely, better marks in a particular exam paper, and the positive feeling of actually tackling questions in those papers that they would be baffled by otherwise. When I got the visualization right, even the most distracted of students could muster the enthusiasm to do a little more work.

Set compelling goals.

Of course, you can only visualize success if you’ve figured out what it is you want to succeed at. So taking the time to set yourself some worthwhile goals is absolutely paramount. With no future vision of success, no goals, what’s the point in delaying gratification? Well, there is no point. But find a compelling and realistic set of goals and build a vivid understanding of the rewards and benefits of achievement and you have the vital ingredients for pain free delayed gratification.

So the next time you are faced with the tempting, oh-so-immediately-satisfying, oh-so-temporary hit of instant gratification, remember that what you may be giving up is more, longer lasting and better gratification, later.

***

See also:
Organic Goal Setting
Delayed Gratification and the Creative Soul – Part 2: the Case Against
Delayed Gratification and the Creative Soul - Part 3: Why Double Gratification is Best