Procrastinators more likely to end up with more health problems than people who get on with things, study reveals
- Researchers asked 379 Canadian students to what extent they agreed with statements
Individuals According to a study, people who regularly procrastinate develop more health problems than those who continue.
Researchers asked 379 Canadian students to what extent they agreed with statements such as “I usually procrastinate before starting the work I need to do” or “I constantly say ‘I’ll do it tomorrow’.”
The same people, who were followed for five months, were asked about stress and minor health problems, such as colds, flu, headaches and back pain.
Those who tended to procrastinate reported experiencing this more.
Professor Fuschia Sirois from the University of Durham, who led the research, said: ‘People who procrastinate are generally not lazy or poor at managing their time. They are more likely to fear failure at tasks, so they procrastinate.
‘The things they haven’t done are taxing their minds and making them feel stressed. We think it is this stress that compromises the immune system, leading to pain and colds.”
The research appeared in the British Journal of Health Psychology.
Researchers asked 379 Canadian students how much they agreed with statements such as “I usually procrastinate before starting work I need to do” or “I constantly say ‘I’ll do it tomorrow'” (stock image)
The same people, who were followed for five months, were asked about stress and minor health problems, such as colds, flu, headaches and backaches (stock image)