Procrastination linked to serious health issues, study suggests
According to research by Swedish scientists, people who have the habit of procrastination may have serious health problems.
Procrastination is not just a problem with managing time effectively, but it is also linked to several negative mental and physical health outcomes. A recent study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association's online network in January 2023 found that procrastination is associated with serious mental health issues, chronic pain, unhealthy habits, poor overall psychosocial health, and even heart disease.
Fred Johansson, a clinical psychologist at Sophiahemmet University in Stockholm, says he was surprised by the results of the study, which was published by his team on January 4th in JAMA Network Open.
The study, which is one of the most comprehensive to date on the relationship between procrastination and health, supports the findings of previous studies that have not received much attention, according to Fuschia Sirois, a behavioral scientist at Durham University in England, who did not participate in the new research.
She said "For years, scientists didn’t seem to view procrastination as something serious, the new study could change that. It’s that kind of big splash that’s … going to get attention. I’m hoping that it will raise awareness of the physical health consequences of procrastination"
The study found that individuals who procrastinate more, tend to have increased symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress nine months later.
According to the study, students who procrastinate more frequently tend to have more issues with pain in the shoulders or arms, poor sleep quality, feelings of loneliness and financial difficulties.
Previous studies have not been able to determine the causality of the relationship between procrastination and poor health as they only evaluated participants at one point in time.
However, in this study, by obtaining multiple self-reported questionnaires from students, the researchers were able to confirm that high procrastination levels existed prior to measuring their health outcomes, which allows them to better understand the causality of the relationship.
