新研究指出，人类倾向于做出冲动决定的根本原因并非低估未来价值，而是对等待本身的厌恶[1]。研究团队发现，正念冥想可以改变人们对时间的感知，使时间流逝感变得缓慢、未来显得更广阔，从而降低等待的心理成本[1]。
在一系列实验中，这一效果得到了明确验证[1]。在超市排队实验中，参与者在接受正念行走课程前，仅有36%的人愿意等待一周以获得更大奖励；课程后，这一比例上升至69%[1]。面包店研究同样显示出相似趋势，观看正念冥想视频后有78%的顾客选择等待两周获得更大优惠券，而对照组中这一比例仅为51%[1]。研究进一步发现，正念冥想改变了参与者对时间的敏感度，但对奖励大小本身的敏感度并未产生影响[1]。
Recent research reveals that human impulsive decision-making, such as rushed purchasing habits, stems not from underestimating future value but from an aversion to waiting itself [1]. Scientists discovered that mindfulness meditation can alter how people perceive time, making delays feel shorter and the future appear more expansive, thereby reducing the psychological cost of waiting [1].
The findings were validated across six separate studies with compelling results [1]. In a supermarket queue experiment, only 36% of participants chose to wait one week for a larger reward before completing a mindfulness walking course, but this proportion rose to 69% afterward [1]. Similarly, in a bakery study, 78% of customers who watched a mindfulness video opted to wait two weeks for a larger coupon compared to just 51% in the control group [1]. The research demonstrated that mindfulness meditation specifically changed people's sensitivity to time itself without altering their sensitivity to reward size [1].
A 2024 study found that when accounting for children's background factors, the time they spend waiting showed limited predictive power for adult outcomes [1].
