For people who are always on time, there’s nothing worse than having to wait for the people who aren’t.
Jessica’s best friend Julie is a lovely person, but there’s hardly ever been an instance when she’s shown up at the appointed hour. Sure enough, when she does arrive, Julie is not only full of excuses but also a set of entertaining stories. It’s hard for Jessica to stay aggravated for long.
Over the years, Jessica’s patience has worn thin, but she doesn’t have the heart to break things off. Instead, she puts up with Julie’s behavior because the fun seems to outweigh the pain.
Can There Be Adaptive Features of Procrastination?
In a new study on the psychology of procrastinators, RMIT University Melbourne’s Lauren Saling and colleagues (2025) wondered whether the chronically late may have some advantages when it comes to certain features of life. Although procrastinators don’t necessarily do all that well when it comes to meeting deadlines, their practice of taking their time can occasionally be not just adaptive but superior to that of their punctual peers.
One problem that non-procrastinators have is that they can “pre-crastinate,” meaning they respond so hastily that they make mistakes.…
