Turns out 'punctually challenged' people have a reason for always being late
Who knew that there was a reason behind being late...
Are you someone who always manages to just make a deadline at work, or you always end up being on time, which is considered late in the corporate world?
Well, if it sounds familiar, there's some good news (well, somewhat good news anyway).
It seems that the reason you are always struggling with sticking to time has something to do with your psychology.
"Despite what may be running through your mind as you’re kept waiting again, it’s unlikely your friends and colleagues are just being selfish. A look into the psychology of lateness offers a glimpse into a mind that that may be malfunctioning. But there’s also more than one fix." (BBC)
Sadly, the perception on being late is quite negative in nature. In general, being late is looked upon as tardiness.
Surprisingly, "the punctually-challenged often share personality characteristics such as optimism, low levels of self-control, anxiety, or a penchant for thrill-seeking, experts say." (BBC)
How we experience the passing of time could also be linked to personality types. So says a Professor Jeff Conte, a psychology professor at San Diego State University.
He conducted a study in 2001, where he separated participants according to their personality types.
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"Type A people (ambitious, competitive) and Type B (creative, reflective, explorative). He asked them to judge, without clocks, how long it took for one minute to elapse. Type A people felt a minute had gone by when roughly 58 seconds had passed. Type B participants felt a minute had gone by after 77 seconds." (BBC)
Dr Linda Sapadin, a psychologist in private practice in New York and author of 'How to Beat Procrastination in the Digital Age', shared that consistent or persistent lateness comes from "an obsessive thinking problem".
In other words, she says that the procrastinator focuses on the fear associated with the event or task at hand.
"Rather than figuring out how to get beyond the fear, the fear becomes the excuse – usually expressed with a ‘but’ statement. For instance, you might tell yourself, “I wanted to be on time for that event but I couldn't decide what to wear." (BBC)
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