Procrastination is a form of task delay that occurs despite awareness of its negative consequences and in the absence of significant obstacles to task completion. This behavior is often accompanied by feelings of guilt and stress, and can lead to problems across various areas of life — including school, work, and even personal relationships. While occasional task avoidance is common, some individuals chronically postpone even their most important responsibilities, whereas others consistently complete assignments well in advance. What explains these individual differences? A new study led by researchers from SWPS University (Poznań, Poland) and CIMCYC (University of Granada) offers new insights into the role of emotion regulation and attention in a tendency to procrastinate.
Over 200 university students participated in the study, which combined questionnaires with a computer-based attention test developed by the research team of Juan Lupiáñez from the UGR (anti-vea.ugr.es). The task measures different aspects of attention, for example, how quickly and accurately participants reacted to presented stimuli, or how long they could maintain uninterrupted focus on a task. The researchers also assessed how often participants experienced spontaneous “mind-wandering” (unintentionally getting lost in thoughts) and how well they were able to manage their emotions in different situations.
Can poor control over thoughts and emotions explain a tendency to delay tasks?
The findings suggest that participants who frequently procrastinate might have difficulty controlling their attention during task completion and maintaining focus over longer periods of time. These difficulties to regulate attention might further contribute to a reduced capacity to manage negative emotions that arise from difficult, boring, or otherwise aversive tasks, ultimately leading to avoidance behaviors — such as attending to less important duties, engaging in pleasurable activities, or simply remaining inactive and staring blankly at a wall.
Moreover, the results indicate that poor attentional control might also explain a higher proneness to spontaneous mind-wandering — that is, experiencing states in which thoughts drift away and revolve around topics unrelated to currently performed activity. These states might also increase the risk of procrastination, especially when a wandering mind comes across another — albeit less important at the moment — goal to accomplish. For example, a student preparing for an exam might zone out and start thinking about unrelated matters. Suddenly, they realize that they have to call her friend with birthday wishes, so they stop studying and make a call, even though it could have waited until later hours.
In summary, the study highlighted the role of attention and emotion regulation in understanding why some individuals are more prone to procrastination than others. People who struggle to control their attention also report difficulties with managing their negative emotional states and keeping their thoughts focused on a task. This may lead to task avoidance and unplanned engagement in alternative activities.
However, it should be noted that the observed relationship between attentional focus and procrastination was relatively weak, suggesting that the tendency to delay tasks is likely a complex issue involving multiple underlying psychological mechanisms that may be uncovered in future studies.
Reference
Wiwatowska, E., Prost, M., Coll-Martin, T., & Lupiáñez, J. (2025). Is poor control over thoughts and emotions related to a higher tendency to delay tasks? The link between procrastination, emotional dysregulation and attentional control. British Journal of Psychology (London, England: 1953). https://doi.org/10.1111/bjop.12793
Contact
Juan Lupiañez - jlupiane@ugr.es