Why you procrastinate even when it feels bad

翻译人员: C Cheng 校对人员: Yip Yan Yeung

It’s 5 p.m. and you’ve just realized that report you’ve been putting off

现在是下午 5 点，你刚刚意识到， 那篇你一直拖着没有完成的报告

is due tomorrow.

明天必须提交。

It’s time to buckle down, open your computer...

现在该开始努力工作了。 于是你打开电脑……

and check your phone.

又刷了刷手机。

Maybe catch up on your favorite YouTube channel?

要不再补看几段你最钟爱的 YouTube 视频？

Actually, you should probably make dinner first.

说实话，你也许应该先准备晚餐。

You usually like cooking,

你一向喜欢烹饪，

though it’s hard to enjoy with this work hanging over your head,

但是有这项工作压在心上， 你很难享受其中的乐趣。

and oh— it’s actually pretty late!

哎，其实时候已经不早了！

Maybe you should just try again in the morning?

也许应该等到明天再说？

This is the cycle of procrastination, and I promise you, we have all been there.

这就是拖延症的自我循环，我保证， 咱们都有过这样的经历。

But why do we keep procrastinating even when we know it’s bad for us?

明知拖延症于己无益， 但是我们为何无法克服它呢？

To be clear, putting something off isn’t always procrastinating.

需要明确一点， 推迟行动并不总是拖延症。

Responsible time management requires deciding which tasks are important

可靠有效的时间管理要求我们 判断出哪些事是当务之急，

and which ones can wait.

哪些事可以稍后处理。

Procrastination is when we avoid a task we said we would do, for no good reason,

如果我们承诺完成某项任务， 也知道不完成任务会带来负面影响，

despite expecting our behavior to bring negative consequences.

但还是无缘无故地避开这项任务， 此时的表现才是拖延症。

Obviously, it’s irrational to do something you expect to harm you.

去做那些明知于己无益的事 显然是不合理的。

But ironically, procrastination is the result of our bodies trying to protect us,

然而出乎意料的是，拖延症正是由 身体的自我保护机制造成的。

specifically by avoiding a task we see as threatening.

避开那些自认为具有威胁性的任务 是其特有的保护方式。

When you realize you need to write that report,

你意识到自己需要动手写那份报告，

your brain responds like it would to any incoming threat.

而此时，你大脑的反应 就如同应对一个即将到来的威胁。

Your amygdala, a set of neurons involved in emotional processing

大脑中有一组称为杏仁体的神经原，

这组神经元与管理情绪， 识别威胁等功能相关联。

and threat identification,

releases hormones including adrenaline that kick off a fear response.

杏仁体会释放多种荷尔蒙，其中包括了 能够引发恐慌反应的肾上腺素。

This stress-induced panic can overpower the impulses from your prefrontal cortex,

由压力引发的恐慌感覆盖了 大脑前额皮层发出的脉冲，

which typically help you think long term and regulate your emotions.

而这些脉冲通常有助于长期性思维， 可以帮助人们控制调节情绪。

And it’s in the midst of this fight, flight, or freeze response

在战斗、逃离、僵住这三种 反应的胶着中，

that you decide to handle the threat

你决定做些压力较小的事情，

by avoiding it in favor of some less stressful task.

以回避的方式来应对威胁。

This response might seem extreme—

这种应对方式看起来也许很极端，

after all, it’s just a deadline, not a bear attack.

你面对的毕竟只是一个截稿期限， 而非遭到熊的攻击。

But we’re most likely to procrastinate tasks that evoke negative feelings,

然而，我们最有可能拖延的工作 正是那些引发负面情绪的工作，

such as dread, incompetence, and insecurity.

比如恐惧、无能、缺乏安全感等。

Studies of procrastinating university students have found participants

研究显示，患有拖延症的大学生

更易推迟完成那些给他们带来压力， 或者具有挑战性的学习任务。

were more likely to put off tasks they perceived as stressful or challenging.

And the perception of how difficult the task is

然而你越是拖延，

increases while you’re putting it off.

就越会觉得这些任务难以完成。

In one experiment, students were given reminders to study throughout the day.

有一项实验，学生在一天中不断收到 提醒他们学习的提示信息。

While they were studying, most reported that it wasn’t so bad.

学习过程中，大部分学生反映 情况并不是很糟糕。

But when they were procrastinating,

但是他们一旦拖延起来，

they consistently rated the idea of studying as very stressful,

就会坚持认为，学习这个念头 让他们感到很有压力，

making it difficult to get started.

因此，开始着手学习就变得非常困难。

Because procrastination is motivated by our negative feelings,

因为拖延症是由负面情绪促成的，

some individuals are more susceptible to it than others.

所以有些人就更易受其影响。

People who have difficulty regulating their emotions

对于那些在调节情绪方面有困难，

and those who struggle with low self-esteem

或者自我评价较低的人来说，

are much more likely to procrastinate,

不论他们有多么强的时间管理能力，

regardless of how good they are at time management.

都更易患上拖延症。

However, it's a common misconception that all procrastinators are lazy.

然而，认为患有拖延症的人都很懒惰， 则是一种常见的错误共识。

In the body and brain, laziness is marked by no energy and general apathy.

懒惰在身体和大脑中呈现的特点是 缺乏精力和总体懈怠。

When you’re feeling lazy, you’re more likely to sit around doing nothing

当你感到懒惰的时候， 你可能会坐下来，什么也不做，

than distract yourself with unimportant tasks.

而不会分心去做一些无足轻重的事。

In fact, many people procrastinate because they care too much.

事实上，很多人做事拖拉， 是因为他们忧心过重。

Procrastinators often report a high fear of failure,

拖延症患者常常表示， 自己对失败感到极度恐慌，

putting things off because they’re afraid their work

拖拉是因为害怕，

won’t live up to their high standards.

工作质量无法达到自己设定的高标准。

Whatever the reason for procrastination, the results are often the same.

不论拖延症的成因是什么， 其结果往往都是一样的。

Frequent procrastinators are likely to suffer from anxiety and depression,

经常拖延的人很可能会 饱受焦虑抑郁之苦，

ongoing feelings of shame,

忍受持续不断的羞耻感，

higher stress levels and physical ailments associated with high stress.

还要承受比别人更大的压力， 以及各种因压力而引起的身体不适。

Worst of all, while procrastination hurts us in the long run,

最糟糕的是，拖延症虽然 会给我们造成长期伤害，

it does temporarily reduce our stress level,

但可以暂时减轻我们的压力，

reinforcing it as a bodily response for coping with stressful tasks.

这就更加强化了身体在应对 高压工作时的拖延反应。

So, how can we break the cycle of procrastination?

那么，我们该怎样摆脱 拖延症的恶性循环呢？

Traditionally, people thought procrastinators needed to cultivate

传统观念认为，患有拖延症的人

discipline and practice strict time management.

需要培养自我控制能力， 执行严格的时间管理计划。

But today, many researchers feel the exact opposite.

但如今，许多研究人员认为， 情况恰恰相反。

Being too hard on yourself can layer additional bad emotions onto a task,

对自己要求太苛刻会增添 任务带来的不良情绪，

making the threat even more intense.

从而使任务的威胁性显得更加强烈。

To short-circuit this stress response,

为了能够绕过这种抗压反应，

we need to address and reduce these negative emotions.

我们需要应付并减少这些负面情绪。

Some simple strategies include breaking a task into smaller elements

这里有一些简单的策略， 比如将任务化整为零，

or journaling about why it's stressing you out

或者记录下焦虑的原因，

and addressing those underlying concerns.

然后着手解决那些深层顾虑。

Try removing nearby distractions that make it easy to impulsively procrastinate.

尽力消除身边容易 引起冲动性拖延的各种干扰。

And more than anything, it helps to cultivate an attitude of self-compassion,

更有助益的方法是培养自悯心态。

forgiving yourself, and making a plan to do better next time.

原谅自己，为下一次 取得进步作出规划。

Because a culture that perpetuates this cycle of stress and procrastination

那种将压力与拖延之间的 循环关系固化的文化观念，

hurts all of us in the long term.

会对所有人造成长远的伤害。