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Delayed gratification is easier when the decisions lie in the misty future
When people are offered the choice of $10 today or $11 tomorrow, they are likely to choose to receive the lesser amount immediately. But, when given a choice between $10 in one year or $11 in a year and a day, people often choose the higher, delayed amount.
Scientists, evaluating fMRI on volunteers, report the emotional limbic system is preferentially activated by decisions involving immediately available rewards, but a greater relative prefrontal cortex activity is observed when subjects choose amongst longer-term options.
The cogitating prefrontal cortex is required for people to slam the breaks on that pesky amygdala and benefit from delayed gratification.
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