PUTTING THINGS off exacts a hefty toll(造成沉重的代价). One study published in 2013 ranked(排名，分级) 22,053 people on a procrastination scale of one to five. Each increase of one point was associated with(与……相关) a drop of nearly $15,000 in annual earnings. Those who habitually(习惯性地) engage in(从事，参与) “self-regulatory failure”, as procrastination is also known, are more prone to delaying medical treatment. A study of 3,525 Swedish university students published in 2023 found that those who scored highly for procrastination were more likely to suffer debilitating(使人衰弱的) pain.
拖延会带来沉重的代价。2013年发表的一项研究将22053人按拖延程度从1到5进行评分。每增加一分，年收入就减少近1.5万美元。那些习惯性地陷入“自我调节失败”（拖延症的别称）的人，更倾向于推迟就医。2023年发表的一项针对3525名瑞典大学生的研究发现，拖延得分高的人更可能遭受令人衰弱的疼痛。
It gets worse. The same Swedish study also found procrastinators more prone to(易于……的) anxiety, stress and loneliness. A 2025 meta-analysis(荟萃分析), published in Frontiers in Psychiatry and covering 88 studies involving 63,323 people in 17 countries, found procrastination and its resulting erosion(侵蚀，削弱) of self-esteem to be a predictor(预测指标) of future depression. How might procrastination be curbed(遏制，控制)?
情况更糟。同一项瑞典研究还发现，拖延者更容易焦虑、紧张和孤独。2025年发表在《精神病学前沿》上的一项荟萃分析，涵盖了17个国家88项研究、涉及63323人，发现拖延及其导致的自尊心侵蚀是未来抑郁的预测因素。如何遏制拖延呢？
Mental exercises appear to help. One set is known as mental contrasting(心理对照) with implementation intentions(执行意图) (MCII). Popularised in a number of smartphone apps, the idea is simple: picture the benefits of achieving a goal; contrast that image with the main obstacle; and devise(设计，想出) a tactic to overcome it. In two randomised trials reported in 2020 undergraduates were given online MCII exercises designed to reduce the delaying of bedtime, which research has linked to procrastination in general.(在2020年报告的两项随机试验中，大学生接受了旨在减少推迟就寝的在线MCII练习，研究表明推迟就寝与拖延症普遍相关。) They missed their intended bedtimes by around 38 minutes less each night than those in a control group(对照组) given advice about healthy sleeping habits.
心理练习似乎有所帮助。其中一种被称为“心理对照与执行意图”（MCII）。该理念在许多智能手机应用中流行开来，其核心很简单：设想实现目标的好处；将这一设想与主要障碍进行对比；并制定克服障碍的策略。在2020年报告的两项随机试验中，大学生接受了旨在减少推迟就寝的在线MCII练习，研究表明推迟就寝与拖延症普遍相关。与接受健康睡眠习惯建议的对照组相比，他们每晚错过预定就寝时间的时间少了约38分钟。