Deviant behaviors linked to choosing immediate rewards over long-term benefits.
Delay discounting is the process of valuing immediate rewards more than future ones. Studies show that people with substance-related, impulse-control, and eating disorders tend to prefer immediate rewards over larger, delayed ones. Older individuals tend to discount future rewards less than younger individuals. People with higher intelligence and academic success tend to have less pronounced delay discounting. More research is needed to understand how delay discounting relates to deviant behaviors and impulse-control disorders.