London - If you are unable to resist an extra serving of dessert or find it impossible to save money, the problem might be that you lack imagination.
A study suggests that the key to defeating the temptations of instant gratification is the ability to picture what the future would be like if only we did not give in.
So, if we can conjure up a detailed image of how slim we will look after dieting, we are more likely to be able to turn down dessert.
And those who can vividly picture a bulging bank balance are more likely to save their extra cash than blow it.
The theory comes from researchers at the Brain and Spine Institute in Paris who studied a group given the choice of small but immediate treats and bigger ones they would have to wait for.
The immediate option was presented as a picture, while the future choice was written out and had to be imagined.
This was done to mimic real life situations in which we have can see or smell an activity, food or drink but can only imagine what life would be like if we didn’t give into temptation.
For instance, they were asked whether they would prefer to have a can beer today or a bottle of champagne in a week’s time.
Other choices included an immediate body massage versus future tickets for an important tennis match and the option of bag of crisps straight away or a future lobster meal in a top restaurant.
Brain scans showed a region called the hippocampus lit up more in those who were best at resisting the immediate, smaller pleasures.
The hippocampus is the brain’s memory hub and is one of the first areas to be destroyed by Alzheimer’s disease.
The research, published in the journal PLoS Biology, found the ability to play back old memories is an important part of being able to picture a future outcome.
To back up their theory, they showed that Alzheimer’s patients were particularly bad at delaying gratification.
Study leader Mathias Pessiglione said: “Would you prefer a can of beer today or a bottle of champagne in one week?
“Choices involving trade-offs between short-term and long-term outcomes are pervasive in everyday life.
“The propensity to favour short-term pleasures defines a form of impulsivity that may have dramatic consequences on professional careers or family relationships.
“The hippocampus is necessary for imagining future situations with a degree of richness that makes them attractive enough.
“This structure has long been considered as essential for storing past episodes but scientists have recently discovered it is also involved in simulating future situations.
“The consequence is that patients with hippocampus damage suffer not only from memory deficits but also from a difficulty in imagining goals that would counter the attraction of immediate rewards and motivate their actions in the long-run.” - Daily Mail