Procrastination and impulsivity are genetically linked, a new have found, suggesting that the two traits stem from similar evolutionary origins.
The research indicates that the traits are related to our ability to successfully pursue and juggle goals.
"Everyone procrastinates at least sometimes, but we wanted to explore why some people procrastinate more than others and why procrastinators seem more likely to make rash actions and act without thinking," said study author Daniel Gustavson from the University of Colorado Boulder.
The most effective way to understand why these traits are correlated is to study human twins, researchers said.
Researchers took advantage of this genetic discrepancy to figure out the relative importance of genetic and environmental influences on particular behaviours, like procrastination and impulsivity.
Gustavson and colleagues had 181 identical-twin pairs and 166 fraternal-twin pairs complete several surveys intended to probe their tendencies toward impulsivity and procrastination, as well as their ability to set and maintain goals.
They found that procrastination is indeed heritable, just like impulsivity.
The finding suggests that, genetically speaking, procrastination is an evolutionary byproduct of impulsivity - one that likely manifests itself more in the modern world than in the world of our ancestors, researchers said.
The link between procrastination and impulsivity also overlapped genetically with the ability to manage goals, lending support to the idea that delaying, making rash decisions, and failing to achieve goals all stem from a shared genetic foundation, they said.