Thinking of the Future Can Limit Impulsive Behavior

There are several components to addictive behavior. For many people, impulsive behavior and the desire for instant gratification are stronger than patience, self-discipline, and will power – people that exhibit these traits are commonly described as having addictive personalities.

In other words, it is easier for them to imagine how they will feel after a couple of drinks then it is to imagine how they are going to feel being sober for several months, or years. Focusing on the long term is a nearly impossible task, and future goals are often compromised for instant feelings of reward.

Delayed Gratification vs Instant Gratification

In a study published in the Journal of Neuroscience, researchers from Washington University performed brain-imaging studies to examine what occurs in the brain as people wait for a reward.

The results indicate that thinking about future rewards limits impulsiveness.

According to Todd Braver, Ph.D., and the co-author of the study, “activity in one part of the brain, the anterior prefrontal cortex, seems to show whether you’re getting pleasure from the future reward you are about to receive. People can relate to this idea that when you know something good is coming, just that waiting can feel pleasurable.”

On the other hand, the people characterized as having impulsive behavior, the ones who could not think beyond the present or imagine the future, did not feel any pleasure. This lack of pleasure was illustrated by the results of the brain imaging system, which only illustrated ramped up activity in the ventral stratium region of the brain as the subjects got closer to receiving their reward.

Adopting Long-Term Strategies for Impulsive Behavior

The Washington University study seems to confirm what many scientists, doctors, and psychologists already imagined: the brains of impulsive and patient people are hardwired differently. The question remains, however, if impulsive people can embrace strategies to better visualize and imagine the future and therefore limit or eradicate their desire for immediate rewards.

This is the same type of insight that clinics encourage people struggling with alcohol or substance abuse problems to adopt. In other words, while the tunnel might look dark now there is a light at the end of it. If you can visualize that future light at the end of the tunnel, then the feelings associated with instant gratification, whether in the form of a drink or a drug, will be greatly diminished.