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- April 3, 2024
Instant Gratification: Why it is Bad and How to Get Rid of it?
We all have wished at some point to get a genie with three wishes to end all our problems and sufferings, to give us happiness and all that you wish for, haven’t you? Well you are not wrong in wanting all this but what drives you to think or act like this? Let’s find out.
“It is the restraint of patience that yields the magnificent in life.”
― Craig D. Lounsbrough
As rightly said by Mr. Craig, acquiring patience is a tough nut to crack. We all have heard from our elders at some point in time that patience is a key to everything which brings on the topic which is being discussed today: Instant Gratification!
What is Instant Gratification?
This seems like a big jargon but believe me, you have been doing this since your childhood. In simple terms, Instant Gratification is the desire to achieve, acquire, or experience any pleasurable emotional, mental or physical satisfaction by fulfilling your desires instantly or without any delay.
So now that you have a gist of what Instant Gratification means, I want you to self examine your actions through the day or life. To make it easier we’ll run through a few actions of instant gratification which almost every person on the planet does at one or the other point of their life.
We all have made New Year resolutions and have broken it in one day or at the most one week later. We all have been tempted to eat a dessert even though we are advised to follow a strict diet. We lie or hide things to get out of sticky situations or to escape punishments.
We have cheated or did malpractices in our class test or other exams. We have procrastinated on big or small things which later on made us fall into trouble.
So basically what I’m trying to point towards is that we have done things which were not right to do just for momentary pleasure or have not heard what our conscience has told us to do to escape punishment or feel good.
How does Instant Gratification work?
Do you know that this has been a well-researched topic? Scientists like Sigmund Freud who is the founder of psychoanalysis, have conducted a study on this. He uses the term “Pleasure Principle” and “Reality Principle”. In simple terms, these is two mechanisms that keep us in check.
The Pleasure Principle allows us to be ambitious, to follow the things which give us pleasure and satisfaction. What the reality Principle does is that often our pleasure principle leads us to do things that can be harmful for us in longer terms or morally not right.
To break it down, we all have seen Tom and Jerry, the good angel and the bad angel at the left and right side of our shoulder which tells us the right thing to do, which often is tough and the “not so right” thing to do, which is morally not a right thing to do.
This good angel is the “Reality Principle” and the bad angel is the “Pleasure Principle”. Since we have understood how Instant Gratification works and the mechanisms behind it, we will now discuss how it is bad for us.
Why Instant Gratification is bad?
You must have often heard your inner voices speaking up before you do anything. This constant battle of ‘inner voices’ is your life choices. “To be or not to be”. To do good which is often on a thorny path or to do the wrong which is often a simple and easy route? Instant Gratification leads us to do the thing which in the long run is harmful or ‘bad’ for us.
“We’ve become so addicted to instant gratification that we’re blind to the impact it has on our lives.”
― Frank Sonnenberg, BookSmart: Hundreds of real-world lessons for success and happiness
When we give in to our temptations and greed we often lose what is meant for us in a bigger picture. Instant gratification does this to us and it is harder to resist it if it goes unbalanced or unchecked.
In our childhood, we all had piggy banks in which we used to save money but were always tempted to break it as soon as little things cropped up. If you have broken the piggy bank soon, then you gave in to the instant gratification if you didn’t then it is called delayed gratification.
You might have heard these popular phrases like “Good things always take time” or “the reward of patience is always sweet”. Well, there is truth definitely in these phrases as instant gratification, the pleasure which is momentary just like the adrenaline rush you get after a roller coaster ride. This momentary happiness always leads to trouble as you tend to lose the discipline and focus of life.
“Entrepreneurs should always aim to play the long game. Instant gratification cannot build a legacy.”
― Andrena Sawyer
How to get rid of Instant Gratification?
Since we have established the fact that instant gratification is bad for us, we can move on to how to stop instant gratification.
Well the constant battle of voices in your head won’t go away unless you stop listening to them. You can start listening to the good voice which is often tough but then in the long run it is beneficial for you.
“The trap of instant gratification is one of the greatest traps of humanity in modern times.”
― Monjyoti Bhattacharyya
When you start thinking about your urges and are conscious of your Instant gratification act that is the first step to overcome the urge to do it. Before you do something which is going to break your long term goals or destroy your resolution take a few moments to yourself, think about the pros and cons.
There are a lot of temptations that come in many forms but it is the strong will-power which makes you victorious of this sucking quagmire of instant gratification. If the cons are greater than the pros then drop the act. You are one step closer to your goal and you just practiced delayed gratification!
How to control impulses for instant gratification?
When you understand how instant gratification is bad for you and how it affects your life in a bad way, then you are conscious of your actions which was the first step you took. By listening to the good voice in your head, you consciously decided what is good for you and which isn’t. you have come closer to delayed gratification which works on the “Reality Principle” which Freud told. So what’s the next step?
Acceptance! When you start accepting your actions and decisions of delayed gratification you automatically control your impulses for instant gratification. When you decide for yourself what is good for you in the long run that is how you overcome the desire and the instant gratification to get momentary happiness.
“It’s a choice to occasionally let go of the urge to feel good in an instant in favor of the long-term goal of shaping our internal state and character which will eventually translate into a good quality of life.”
― Monjyoti Bhattacharyya
So when you decide to let go something which gives you a moment of joy but later you start regretting it. You start going through this ride of guilt-tripping but then the cycle goes on. Well that is what instant gratification does.
A simple text to a person who you dislike in a moment of anger but gives you simple joy and satisfaction that you did but can break the relationship in an irreparable way. Or when you decide to enjoy rather than invest your time but later regret.
There are millions of scenarios where just this momentary happiness and satisfaction have made you regret your decision. This what instant gratification does! But by choosing and accepting your actions of looking at a longer benefit, weighing the pros and cons you overcome your impulses for instant gratification.
“Instant gratification is overrated. While it might seem exciting to be able to snap your fingers and have something you want materialize before your eyes, that won’t give you the full appreciation or enjoyment that comes from envisioning your dream and making it happen with everything you’ve got. If there is something you want very much, and you are feeling pretty impatient about getting it, you should resolve to enjoy the process and not look forward only to the goal; you’ll get much more out of it this way.”
― Nitya Prakash
How to deal with instant gratification? Well read the quote and ask yourself what is that you want? Self-loathing for momentary gratification or facing the temptation right at its face and becoming an asset to yourself and people around you as you have processed your way through patience, acceptance, and righteous way.
