The Daily Stat: Your Tendency to Put Things Off May Have Been Inherited

 

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April 18, 2014 Your Tendency to Put Things Off May Have Been Inherited 46% of the trait of procrastination is due to genetic influences, according to a study of hundreds of sets of twins. The research also lends support to a theory that procrastination, in its tendency to undermine adherence to long-term goals, is a byproduct of impulsivity, which may have had an evolutionary origin: Hunter-gatherers had an advantage if they acted swiftly to satisfy their survival needs. Your genetics don't necessarily condemn you to a life of procrastination: The 46% figure means procrastination is only "moderately heritable," according to the researchers, led by Daniel E. Gustavson of the University of Colorado. SOURCE: Genetic Relations Among Procrastination, Impulsivity, and Goal-Management Ability: Implications for the Evolutionary Origin of Procrastination

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