Taming the Urge for Instant Gratification
Why do we choose instant gratification, even when we know that restraint will make us happier in the long run? This is a consequential question for every member of an organization, from a shirking employee to a CEO who mortgages the future for the sake of a quarterly report. This papersynthesizes recent empirical studies of the “want/should” tension, examining the problem from economic and psychological perspectives and suggesting practical methods of optimizing our decision making.