Congratulations! You’ve just won a prize in a lottery. It’s a rather unusual lottery – you’ve been offered the choice of £750 now, or £1,000 in one year. (Don’t worry, the lottery is government-backed, so there’s no chance of the organiser going bust or failing to pay out.) So which prize would you prefer?
a) I’ll take the £750 now, thanks
It sounds like you’re susceptible to something called “delay discounting” – a tendency to undervalue rewards when they won’t appear until some point in the future. The more susceptible you are to delay discounting, the more likely you are to become addicted to alcohol, cigarettes, methamphetamine and heroin, according to a recent review. You’re also more likely to become obese, to suffer from binge-eating, to gamble to excess, to have ADHD, depression and personality disorders such as psychopathy, to start having sex at a young age and to commit crime. Still, you’re not alone. In a study conducted with children, who were offered the choice of one marshmallow now or two in 15 minutes, only about a third managed to wait.
b) I’d rather have £1,000 in a year
Good news. Unlike your friend who can’t wait to get their hands on the money, you are more likely to eat breakfast, wear sunscreen, wear a seatbelt, exercise, go to the dentist, get yourself tested for various types of cancer and do well at school. What do these very different things all have in common? While very different on the surface, all involve accepting some short-term pain (in the case of a visit to the dentist or physical exercise, quite literally) for a long-term gain – such as keeping one’s own teeth.
Psy-Q by Ben Ambridge is published by Profile Books at £12.99. To order a copy for £10.39, go to bookshop.theguardian.com
