I’ve never thought of myself as a procrastinator. I get my assignments in on time, often ahead of time, and I generally get started early enough that I don’t have to scramble to meet deadlines. But just as I was patting myself on the back and feeling superior to at least half the human race, I looked at the pile of laundry waiting to be put away, and then I noticed that my house is a giant dustball, and then  — well, at that point I just stopped looking. So yes, I do procrastinate after all, rather a lot, it seems. (Sincere apologies to half the human race.)

That’s why I was comforted by a study that came out last week. It found that the tendency to procrastinate is likely a built-in feature of our brains. In the study, researchers gave monkeys various tasks. Some tasks earned the monkeys a reward, while others earned them both a reward and an unpleasant puff of air in the face. As you might expect, the monkeys were more hesitant to do the tasks that came with a puff of air.

However, when the researchers chemically suppressed a brain circuit known to be involved in motivation, the monkeys didn’t hesitate to do the task that resulted in a puff of air. The researchers said the brain circuit acted as a “brake” on motivation, so suppressing it removed the brake.

The researchers hope this information will be useful in helping people suffering from depression and schizophrenia, conditions often linked with defects in motivation. Unfortunately, they didn’t mention how it might help the rest of us get our laundry off the bed and into the closet.

Another thing I procrastinate about is begging for subscribers. But, alas, part of the job of running a newsletter is getting more readers, so — big puff of air in the face — if you have friends or family who’d enjoy this newsletter, please tell them about it! They can sign up here. And of course, just like you, they can unsubscribe any time, and I will never share email addresses or collect data from my subscribers.

’til next time, stay curious (and motivated)!

Avery