Aishwarya Iyer
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Written By: Aishwarya Iyer | Published : August 27, 2018 2:19 PM IST
Procrastination can be a quite annoying habit. Do you often blame your loved ones for procrastinating things? If yes, stop blaming them! Their habit is perpetuated by the structure of the brain. This peculiar habit that you have been despising may actually be due to the structure of your brain, found a recent study. A study published in the Psychological Science noted that there are 2 parts of the brain that are ideally responsible for someone procrastinating.
What does the study say?
The study which was presented by researchers at Ruhr University Bochum, Germany, blames procrastination on two parts of the brain: the amygdala "an almond-shaped structure in the temporal (side) lobe which processes our emotions and controls our motivation" and the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (or the DACC), which "uses information from the amygdala and decides what action the body will take."
The DACC is responsible for "blocking out competing emotions and distractions" in other words, it's the anti-procrastination part of the brain, reported the study. "Individuals with a larger amygdala may be more anxious about the negative consequences of an action - they tend to hesitate and put off things," said Erhan Gen , one of the study authors, based at Ruhr University Bochum, reportedly.
Having said this, does it mean procrastination can't be escaped? The study said that's not really the case. The study says that the brain is very responsive. Lead author, Dr Caroline Schl ter reportedly said, "The brain is very responsive and can change throughout the lifespan."
Dr Tim Pychyl, a procrastination expert from Carleton University, Ottawa, told the BBC, "Research has already shown that mindfulness meditation is related to amygdala shrinkage, expansion of the pre-frontal cortex and a weakening of the connection between these two areas."
3 simple tips for procrastinators:
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