Feelings trump reasons: Irrationality and procrastination | Psychology Today Blogs

Feelings trump reasons: Irrationality and procrastination Psychology Today Blogs

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By Timothy A. Pychyl, Ph.D. on March 10, 2009 - 3:15am in Don't Delay
Feelings trump reasons: Irrationality and procrastination

Note From Jim: Folks, this is a must read!!!!

Excerps:

The heart has its reasons of which reason knows nothing. Isn't it ironic that our heart's health may depend on our ability to follow our reason?

The alarm goes off at 5 a.m. Why? Because you set it last night with the intention of an early-morning run. Instead, you shut off the alarm, choosing the pleasures of sleep over the benefits of exercise. Peter Ubel writes, "No one could call this choice irrational." Not so. I can, and it's an irrationality that we know as procrastination.

Incredibly, even when we give in to feel good, we manage to convince ourselves with a new intention (run tomorrow) of our good intentions. As Peter wrote in his example, "I told myself I'd get up the next morning at 5 a.m. and get in that run." I think we deceive ourselves. We get caught in the procrastination trap of intransitive preference loops based on how we feel and we undermine ourselves. This aspect of our irrationality is a key issue in Peter's book. We don't always act in our own best interests, even when we form an intention to act - we procrastinate - the ultimate self-defeating irrational act.

In Peter's story, he wrote, "Only one problem with this story: at bedtime the previous night, I held an equally strong preference for exercise over sleep."

I think the source of these preferences was quite different. The preference to run was a reasoned, scheduling intention. The preference to stay in bed was a momentary mood, I don't feel like it. Peter reflects as much with, "...choice between the pleasures of sleep and the benefits of exercise."

Pleasure trumps benefits, feelings trump reasons, at least for those of us who fail to self-regulate well.

The heart has its reasons of which reason knows nothing. Isn't it ironic that our heart's health may depend on our ability to follow our reason?

Read full article: http://blogs.psychologytoday.com/blog/dont-delay/200903/feelings-trump-reasons-irrationality-and-procrastination

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This posting was made my Jim Jacobs, President & CEO of Jacobs Executive Advisors. Jim also serves as Leader of Jacobs Advisors' Insurance Practice.