Swedish scientists conducted a longitudinal study of college students and found that the habit of procrastinating is strongly linked to depression, poor sleep, chronic pain, and financial difficulties.
The researchers recruited 3,525 students from eight universities in and around Stockholm and asked them to fill out questionnaires every three months for one year.
The results showed that higher levels of procrastination were associated with slightly stronger symptoms of depression, anxiety and stress as early as nine months later.
Students with higher levels of procrastination were also more likely to report disabling shoulder or arm pain, poorer sleep quality, greater loneliness, and greater financial hardship.
The association held even when they adjusted for age, gender, parental education level, and previous physical and mental health diagnoses.
At the same time, the authors emphasize that they finally managed to establish a causal relationship between the habit of postponing everything for later and various consequences.
Previously, scientists had already emphasized the connection between procrastination and poor health, but it was not clear which came first.
Because previous surveys took into account only one short period of time, some researchers took the view that poor health could be the cause of disorganized respondents.
The Swedish study should put an end to these disputes.
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