The Motivational Factors Underlying Delay Discounting

People's inability to delay gratification and the tendency to discount rewards as a function of time has been used as an index of impulsivity and lack of self-control. It has been studied extensively in relation to a wide variety of negative outcomes including addiction, obesity, gambling, and so forth. However, we do not have a systematic understanding of when and why people would show a preference for immediate smaller over larger, but delayed rewards. We suggest that delay discounting is goal driven and could therefore be understood by applying the principles of goal pursuit. Across 5 studies we provide empirical evidence to support this proposal. Specifically, we show that (a) people discount a reward to a greater extent if the reward is relevant to their goals; (b) the tendency to discount the rewards as a function of delay is reduced when these goals could be attained through alternative means.