The Problem With Instant Gratification
Quick fixes only help temporarily. Building strength through time, effort, and resilience is how you obtain character.
Quick fixes and solutions to escape from personal issues are the name of the self-care game these days. Being an educator for high school teens for 15 years, I’ve seen the first-hand matters associated with instant gratification.
Having patience for goals, accolades, and obtaining materials has been diminishing through the past decade. We live in an age where we can retrieve information with a click of a button and get items we need or want sent to our front doors within the same day.
Going through our Covid pandemic exacerbated instant gratification because we were bombarded with quick solutions to unprecedented circumstances. I have to admit that I was sucked into this behavior, but I just had to be aware of it so I could change it.
WHAT IS INSTANT GRATIFICATION?
Instant gratification is defined as “the desire to experience pleasure or fulfillment without delay or deferment.” It’s basically you want itand you want it now.
What we want versus what we are taught are two different principles. We are all told to delay our gratification so we can be more appreciative, grateful, and proud of the work put into obtaining an award, goal, or materials. But, what society has been pushing on us has been quick fixes and faster service.
A good example of instant gratification is the marshmallow test. If you don’t know about this test, it was originally conducted by researchers in the 1960s which involves placing a marshmallow in front of a child and giving them the option to eat the single marshmallow right away or wait to it eat it. If they wait, the child will receive a second marshmallow.
We are given marshmallow tests daily with click bait and easy solutions to our issues. If we can obtain the emotions that come with resolve and find answers to our issues instantly, why wouldn’t we just gravitate toward them?
THE PROBLEM WITH INSTANT GRATIFICATION
Having our desires met isn’t actually a bad thing, but to have it constantly occur is what we need to be aware of.
Our brains are constantly changing in response to what we do and the things we pay attention to. For example, each time we impulsively eat something unhealthy or shop online to buy new items, our brain pathways for those actions are being reinforced, making it easier to fall into the same patterns the next time around which make it harder to break the cycle.
Over time, we start conditioning our brains to believe that instant gratification is the way to move through life. The ability to quickly satisfy a desire for delicious food that may have cancer-promoting properties and develops weight gain starts taking real tolls on our bodies. Instant purchases of online products that have our interests start to exponentially affect our bank accounts. Also, our constant need to check in on social media intermittently, even while spending time with friends and family, lowers the quality of our in-person interactions.
As we continue our pursuit of fast and easy fixes, we start to experience dopamine surges in our brains long before we actually experience any reward. The craving that comes with dopamine release hits us too early.
We “feel good” because of this quick dopamine hit, but it’s from this hit that we must break from the drug of instant gratification.
EXAMPLES OF INSTANT GRATIFICATION
We all encounter and are tested with the choice to be instantly gratified daily. The key takeaway to this is to become aware if we are taking the fast route to hedonism rather than the delayed path. Some examples of instant gratification that we face daily are:
The urge to eat junk food that envelopes our taste buds rather than having a healthy meal that will contribute to long-term good health
Being able to sleep in longer than getting up to work out.
Impulse buying new clothes rather than using the money to invest or save.
Wanting to sit down and watch your favorite show rather than continue to write your book.
The temptation to go out with friends instead of finishing a paper or studying for an exam.
The urge to spend all your time with video games rather than working on your long-term goals.
Wanting to use diet pills instead of eating healthy and exercising.
As you finished reading this, you’ve probably noticed that one or more of these examples apply to your life. Though it may sting a bit, a little instant gratification is ok—it’s allowing instant gratification to continuously lead our behavior is what’s detrimental.
HOW TO OVERCOME INSTANT GRATIFICATION
Overcoming instant gratification is a daily exercise that we can practice daily. It isn’t an easy feat, but delaying our gratification enables our ability to reap the rewards of long-term success. If building the habits to delay our gratifications were easy, most of us would be healthy, rich, and happier.
Since that’s not the case, ways to help overcome our instant gratification include:
Break down big goals into smaller chunks. Of course, we love big goals because they are motivating, but they can also seem overwhelming. When you must decide between instant or easy gratification vs. delayed gratification, focusing on the long-term goal may seem daunting. Breaking these big goals into smaller pieces with a reward system after each step makes you more committed and more likely to commit to persevering.
Set rules to protect yourself from the trap. If you have a set of rules or take away the temptations of going to the easy route, you will find it easier to commit to a long-term game. It’s on to mess up, but being aware of your actions and getting back on track is how you become resilient.
Understand the purpose. If you understand that instant gratification is only helping temporarily and hinders your potential growth and wisdom, you’re more likely to refrain from constantly regressing back to this habit. Instant gratification is sometimes an escape from the moments of being uncomfortable. It is also a way to cheat your brain thinking that you achieved the end goal when you’re nowhere near it. Don’t allow your emotions to get in the way of your progress.
KEY TAKEAWAY
There is no way around our eyes seeing ways to instantly gratify ourselves with our everyday choices. We are given multiple outlets to go to within the internet, have delicious fatty and sugary food within our mouths after 5 minutes of ordering, and can feel “happy” with a swallow of a few pills.
We must first become aware of the traps that are set in front of us. We must ask ourselves the questions of “Is this going to help me grow?” or “Is this solution just temporary?”
These quick fixes prevent us from being resilient—learning how to overcome our circumstances with thought, patience, and action.
We have to realize that instant gratification is tightly related to the rise of anxiety and depression due to the masses quickly obtaining answers to their questions or pursuits. Since we have devices that can get to our answers with a touch of a button, pursuing goals that take time, perseverance, and grit are quickly thrown off the table.
Real transformational change and life-changing pursuits take time, but what it also encompasses is allowing ourselves to work through uncomfortable moments from the failures we will encounter.
Mental strength and wisdom do not come “instantly”—it comes through awareness, mindfulness, and choice.
-Lloyd Sarte
