Later

Science World, Feb 7, 2005 by Lindsay Carswell

Last-minute habits, like letting your dirty laundry pile up, may be wired into your genes (units of hereditary material).

To study procrastination, researcher Barry Richmond at the National Institute of Mental Health trained a group of monkeys to complete a computer task. "Like people, they tend to procrastinate," he says. An on-screen counter showed the monkeys how much work remained before they would receive a treat from Richmond. As expected, the monkeys only worked consistently when the time had nearly run out.

Next, Richmond altered one of the monkeys' gene receptors--a doorway into their brain cells. Result: The monkeys became non-stop workers. Why? In animals, including humans, the receptor Richmond altered carries the chemical dopamine into brain cells. There, dopamine indicates when you need to work hard to get a reward.

Once the receptor had been altered, dopamine did not signal a nearing reward. So, to be safe, the monkeys worked feverishly.

Finally--a scientific excuse for your procrastination.

Did You Know?

* Dopamine, the brain messenger linked with procrastination, is also involved with body movements. Scientists hope the recent discovery about genes and procrastination could someday lead to treatments for diseases like Parkinson's--a disorder that causes people to lose control of body movements.

* Many people procrastinate when their tasks seem too large or overwhelming. To help solve this problem, scientists suggest to first break down the projects into smaller, manageable pieces. Then, tackle one piece at a time.

Resources

* To learn more about the procrastination-gene study, read: www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200408/s1175369.htm

* This site has teen-friendly tips for overcoming procrastination: www.organizedteens.com/studytime.htm