It will soon be time for the annual ritual of New Year’s resolutions, which we invariably fail to follow and put off again until next year. It would appear that the blame lies with our prehistoric ancestors.

A twin study from the United States has found that procrastination (pro: in favour of, crastinus: tomorrow) is an inherited trait which is strongly linked to impulsivity.

Data were gathered from the Colorado Longitudinal Twin Study. There were 663 participants, from both identical and same-sex fraternal twin pairs.

Participants were asked to complete a number of questionnaires designed to measure procrastination, impulsivity and goal management ability. Behavioural genetic model-fitting analysis was used to determine the relative contribution of genes and environment.

Both procrastination and impulsivity were found to be moderately heritable (46% and 49% respectively). There was a perfect correlation (r = 1.0) between the genetic components of the two traits i.e. they are always inherited together.

Conversely, the environmental influences on the two traits were only weakly correlated (r = 0.33), which is the reason why procrastination and impulsivity can be distinguished as separate observable personality traits (moderately correlated; r = 0.65).

Further analysis suggested that there was a substantial overlap (68%) between the inheritance of procrastination-impulsivity and the inheritance of an inability to achieve both short- and long-term goals.

At first sight it would appear surprising that the genetic predisposition for procrastination and impulsivity is one and the same. We might have expected procrastinators to act slowly and only after careful deliberation. However, it does make sense: procrastinators may struggle to complete tasks, lack self-discipline and be easily distracted.1

It has been suggested that impulsiveness was an advantageous trait for our hunter gatherer ancestors who needed the ability to act quickly and decisively.2 However, it is a handicap in the modern world where we need to be able to prioritise and pursue long-term goals.

Previous studies have suggested that procrastination is only weakly linked to anxiety. Unexpectedly, perfectionists seem to be less likely to procrastinate than the rest of the population. There is a weak to moderate association with lack of self belief and depression.

A downward spiral may occur where procrastination leads to depression (as a result of perceived failure and social stigma), and depression in turn exacerbates procrastination.1

Samuel Johnson felt that we are all to some extent prone to ‘the folly of allowing ourselves to delay what we know cannot be finally escaped.’3

It can be a debilitating problem and further research, in particular to determine whether or not CBT is an effective treatment, should be undertaken without delay!4

In the meantime, my advice is to abandon New Year’s resolutions.

Dr Phillip Bland