The Hidden Dangers of Instant Gratification: A Deep Dive

A few days ago, I was consulting with a woman with a financial concern. It was an addiction to spending. While acknowledging it was a problem, she felt compelled to keep spending. Not a week went by without her spending money on clothes, home appliances, or restaurants. Of course, being at retirement age, the concern was that she was depleting her nest egg fast. 

Many find it tough enough when they lose their active income when they retire. Then, if they gamble or frivolously spend their money, they can easily fall into a cycle of depleting their capital.

We all have addictions in one form or another and to varying degrees. Here are a few:

• Drugs

• Tobacco 

• Technology 

• Sex

• Shopping

• Exercise 

• Food

So why do we have addictions? We know that when addicted, we satiate our need for instant gratification. Chemical changes occur in an area of the brain called the amygdala. 

Endorphins are also feel-good chemicals and the body’s pain relievers. They’re secreted from the pituitary gland and act in conjunction with dopamine.

When we are addicted, we are seeking out something as compensation for something else that we are avoiding.

Interestingly, repeated instant gratification leads to our addictions, which are more prevalent than ever. It even directs our healthcare systems. We saw this play out during the COVID pandemic with the introduction of Operation Warp Speed and the vaccines, which were going to be the magic bullet––the fix––to cure COVID-19.