Zak Lipman 10c Line 5 Literature Review What Is Delayed Gratification Delayed gratification also known as deferred gratification, is the ability to resist the temptation for an immediate reward and wait for a later reward. Commonly, delayed gratification is associated with resisting a smaller but more immediate reward in order to receive a larger or more lasting reward later (DeLecce, n.d.). A lot of studies have linked the ability of strong delay gratification to a number of other positive outcomes, such as physical health, psychological health, academic success and social skill (Liu, Wang and Liao, 2016). A person 's ability to delay gratification conveys to other similar abilities such as patience, impulse control, self-control and willpower, all of which are involved in self-regulation. Roughly, self-regulation embraces a person 's ability to adapt as necessary to meet demands of the environment (DeLecce, n.d.) On a daily basis people are forced to make decisions that could result in different outcomes, there you are forced to make a choice between instant gratification, getting what you want immediately, or delayed gratification, postponing the immediate reward and receiving an even larger one, be it choosing to delay the gratification of watching television and getting your homework done now then you’ll learn more and get better grades, If you delay the gratification of buying unhealthy, savoury food at the shops, then you’ll eat healthier* when you get home, or