Individuals who procrastinate are more likely to experience bad mental health, sleeping difficulties and money issues compared to those who do not intentionally delay things, academics have said.
Research conducted by the University in Stockholm has found that procrastinating is also linked to getting lower grades and developing physical health complications.
During the study, the team of scientists looked at the health outcomes of eight university students studying different courses, including technology, economics, medicine and social sciences.
Each participant filled in a lifestyle survey, which included questions on how often they procrastinate and the state of their mental and physical health.
The researchers found that people who procrastinate are nearly 15% more likely to develop depression than those who do not intentionally delay things despite the expected bad outcome.
Additionally, procrastinating increased someone’s chances of experiencing financial problems and sleeping difficulties by 15%.
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“This suggests that procrastination is associated with subsequent mental health problems, disabling pain, unhealthy lifestyle behaviours, and worse physical health factors,” said the authors.
They added: “’Considering that procrastination is prevalent among university students, these findings may be of importance to enhance the understanding of students’ health.”
The study has been published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
