People with an optimistic outlook about the future are less likely to procrastinate severely, according to new research from the University of Tokyo. While procrastinators often berate themselves for their “bad habit,” it turns out that their worries about the future are more to blame. Through a survey of nearly 300 young people, researchers found that those who had a positive view about decreasing their stress levels in the future, compared to the past or present, were less likely to experience severe procrastination. Opinions about personal well-being did not seem to have an effect. Improving people’s outlook and preparation for the future could help them overcome procrastination and achieve a less stressful lifestyle.
How many times have you made a “to do” list and, even though the most important task is at the top, you seem to be working your way up from the bottom or distracted by something else entirely? While we can berate ourselves for procrastinating, sometimes the more we try to get through it, the more stressed we become and the cycle continues. That’s what it was like for graduate student Saya Kashiwakura at the University of Tokyo’s Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, so she decided to investigate why.
“I have struggled with procrastination since childhood. I cleaned my room when I needed to study for an exam and prioritized aikido practice over my graduate research. This habit of postponing important tasks has been a constant challenge,” Kashiwakura said. “I wanted to change my behavior because I realized I was not facing the future impact of my actions.”
This inspired Kashiwakura to examine the relationship between procrastination and the procrastinator’s perspective on time, particularly their view of the future. When she began researching procrastination, she was surprised to discover that many more people suffered from it than she had imagined and was reassured that her problems were not unique.
Previous research has shown that a characteristic of procrastination is a disregard for the future or difficulty linking present actions with future outcomes. However, the reasons for this have been unclear. Kashiwakura and co-author Professor Kazuo Hiraki, also of UTokyo, proposed that it might be because severe procrastinators have a more pessimistic outlook.
Researchers surveyed 296 participants in Japan in their twenties to learn their views on stress and well-being and, more importantly, how they changed over time. This included asking about their experiences from 10 years ago to the present, and their expectations for 10 years in the future. From the results, participants were grouped into one of four groups (for example, whether they thought their situation would improve or stay the same), and each group was then divided into severe, medium, and low procrastinators.
“Our research showed that optimistic people (those who believe that stress does not increase as we move into the future) are less likely to have severe procrastination habits,” Kashiwakura explained. “This finding helped me adopt a brighter outlook on the future, which led to a more direct vision and reduced procrastination.”
It was not just the level of stress people experienced, but also how their perception of it changed over the 20-year period analyzed, that influenced their procrastination habits. Surprisingly, no relationship was found between procrastination and negative opinions about well-being, such as one’s attitude toward oneself or not yet finding purpose and goals in life.
Using these results, the team wants to develop ways to help people foster a more optimistic mindset and overcome procrastination. “We hope that our findings will be particularly useful in the education sector. “We believe that students will achieve better results and experience greater well-being when they can scientifically understand their procrastination tendencies and actively work to improve them, rather than blaming themselves,” Kashiwakura said.
“Thoughts can change with just a few minutes of watching a video or be shaped by years of accumulation. “Our next step is to investigate what approach is appropriate this time and how we can develop the ‘right’ mindset to lead a happier, more fulfilling life.”
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Work title
Saya Kashiwakura and Kazuo Hiraki. The future optimism group based on the chronological stress view is less likely to be severe procrastinators. Scientific reports. May 30, 2024. DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-61277-y
Helpful Links:
Graduate School of Arts and Sciences: https://www.cu-tokyo.ac.jp/eng_site/info/about/education/GSAS/
Money:
This research was funded by JST CREST, grant number JPMJCR18A4 and supported by JST [Moonshot R&D][Grant Number JPMJMS2293-04].
Conflict of interests
None.
Research contact:
Mrs. Saya Kashiwakura
Graduate School of Arts and Sciences
The University of Tokyo, 3-8-1 Komaba,
Meguro-ku, Tokyo, 153-8902, Japan
Email: kashiwakura@ardbeg.cu-tokyo.ac.jp
Press contact:
Mrs Nicola Burghall (she/her)
Public Relations Group, University of Tokyo,
7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8654, Japan
press releases.adm@gs.mail.u-tokyo.ac.jp
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