In general, hard effort and diligence are valued in American society. The term “lazy” is a huge insult. Nevertheless, many of us are prepared to assign this name to ourselves and, more significantly, to others.
“The idea that people are inherently “lazy” and must be forced to be productive is a very old and deeply ingrained cultural belief. It stems from the Puritans’ conviction that a person’s hard work was a sign of their moral integrity.
Dr. Price claims that in addition to the current focus on “productivity,” shifts in working procedures and always connected mobile devices have expanded our conceptions of what constitutes sloth. He claims that “we are expected to be flawless professional paragons constantly; we aren’t even free during our downtime.” “This puts us at a great risk of burnout and has a huge psychological toll on us.”
Price holds the opinion that people’s conceptions of laziness are false, as he outlines in his most recent book, Laziness Does Not Exist. According to him, “people who seem unmotivated are either worn out, traumatized, in need of assistance, or do not see any rational reason to participate in a task.”
Laziness is less disparaged by other specialists. Some claim that it has anything to do with procrastination, a problem that psychology has thoroughly examined and identified. This research explains how, when, and why people could act in ways that seem lazy, as well as what you can do if you believe it to be an issue.
Laziness: What Is It?
To begin with, the term “laziness” is not a recognized clinical diagnosis in psychology (or medicine). Laziness is not a diagnosable condition. But some psychologists have tried to define the term “laziness” in terms of popular culture.
A 2018 study that was published in the journal Human Arenas defined lazy as the inability to act or perform as expected because of conscious, controllable causes, specifically a lack of personal effort.
According to this definition, a student who has an attention deficit and is unable to complete their work would not be considered lazy, however a student who is capable of completing the job but decides not to would.
The idea of laziness is not commonly used in psychological study as a result of all of this. However, it strongly resembles procrastination, a related and thoroughly researched issue.
He defines procrastination as “the deliberate postponement of an intended action while anticipating a worse outcome.” When someone plans to do something but doesn’t, that’s called procrastination.
A person may be called “lazy” by their parents or supervisor if they never planned to do something, but they wouldn’t fit the psychologist’s description of procrastination.
While determining when someone procrastinates is frequently simple, defining instances of laziness is far more difficult.
None of us work around the clock. Everybody takes pauses to rest or sleep. Instead of engaging in useful activities, we all partake in enjoyable or rejuvenating activities. At what point in time does not working constitute laziness? Everyone believes they will recognize it when they see it.
Why Do People Get Lazy?
First, it’s crucial to note that procrastination is the subject of a large portion of the studies on what people refer to as “laziness.”
Again, this is due to the fact that idleness is a subjective concept and a colloquial word rather than a formal one. What one person considers “lazy” can be another’s definition of a challenging workday. You would call it laziness if you intended to accomplish something but didn’t, but a psychologist would call it procrastination.
A Coping Strategy
According to Pychyl, “people mistakenly believe that procrastination is a time management problem, but it’s actually an emotion management problem.” “The idea of finishing a task causes anxiety or just a general aversion, and delaying the task helps one get rid of those negative feelings.”
He emphasizes that procrastination is a sensible and useful “coping mechanism” for handling uncomfortable emotions. The idea that procrastination may be an attempt to manage negative feelings that surface when people must perform unpleasant or challenging tasks is supported by research published in the journal Personality and Individual Differences.
Most children view this job as a “unnatural ask,” requiring them to engage in a set of culturally produced learning activities that don’t align with their interests or instincts. This explains why so many young students wait until the last minute to complete their assignments. Some people delay more than others, regardless of how reasonable their excuses may seem.
Age
The prefrontal cortex of the brain, which aids in focus, planning, decision-making, and other “executive functions,” does not reach full maturity until a person is in their twenties. Young individuals procrastinate more than adults, which is not surprising given that this area of the brain helps regulate emotional impulses and direct behaviors that call for a longer-term perspective.
He claims that children are acting considerably more on the basis of pleasure. It’s difficult for an adolescent brain to place more value on playing computer games than on schoolwork, which is labor that might not provide any rewards right now.
The Factor of Habitual Behavior
One potential issue is that, similar to other behaviors, procrastination can develop into a habit. It might be difficult to overcome a brain response that develops a habit of avoiding unpleasant tasks.
Repeating behaviors that provide you with some instant gratification on a regular basis creates habits. All of the boxes can be checked via procrastination: Delaying disagreeable tasks might provide a nice sensation of relaxation. As a result, procrastination can spread like other negative habits.
The surroundings
According to some researches, we may pick up (and be more likely to practice) the behavioral trait of lazy from other people. You’ll probably do the same if your coworkers act sloppily and neglect their work.
Personality Qualities
According to Pychyl, procrastination can also be influenced by personality traits. These include impulsivity and poor conscientiousness, which he defines as “people who are not planful, dutiful, and organized.” According to him, procrastination may result from the painful emotional burden that even some types of perfectionism—the need to achieve a high self-defined standard—can place on work.
Distraction
Finally, one of the main causes of procrastination is distraction, which many of us struggle with these days. “We refer to these technologies as weapons of mass distraction because they are so problematic,” he explains.
He claims that social networking platforms, tech-based alerts, and other temptations make it harder for many of us to begin and continue a challenging task. Additionally, studies published in Computers in Human Behavior have demonstrated that heavy smartphone use and social media use are predictors of some types of academic procrastination.
It’s also important to note that some people, like Price, believe that there are always good reasons for someone’s seeming indolence, therefore this thing we label laziness does not really exist.
Is It Harmful to My Health to Be Lazy?
Research on the effects of laziness on health and wellbeing is scarce.
But according to a 2018 review in the journal Frontiers in Psychology, there is evidence that procrastination can keep people from adopting new and healthy habits, like a new fitness regimen or a healthier eating style.
According to the same review, delaying tasks can result in serious psychological distress for those who believe they have a procrastination problem. This psychological distress can lead to worry, low mood, and a decline in overall wellbeing.
Price goes on to say that those who think of themselves as lazy might not be at all. However, this self-perception may cause issues.
He claims that in his work, he has repeatedly discovered that those who are most certain they are “lazy” are the ones who are being pushed to perform excessive amounts of work and are expecting too much of themselves with insufficient assistance. “Even though you are constantly pushing yourself over the edge, you will always feel lazy if your to-do list is twenty items long and you only have the energy to complete ten things each day.”
Imagine being asked to perform just five of those tasks in a single day. Even though you accomplished the same amount of work, you may feel really productive rather than sluggish.
Once more, he draws attention to emerging technology as a possible contributing element. “There is more pressure to be productive all the time because of technology,” he says.
Technology, which allows us to check our email, instant messaging applications, or self-improvement apps at any time and from any location, has made many of us feel sluggish if we’re not continuously doing something constructive online, regardless of whether that pressure is coming from our employers, ourselves, or a combination of the two.
Six Ways to Reduce Laziness
Different professionals handle managing self-diagnosed laziness in different ways. These could be developing self-compassion or developing distraction-avoidance skills.
1. Reduce, Not Increase
According to Price, your objective shouldn’t be to blend in more. Rather, you must decide what matters most to you and put the rest aside. He suggests cutting your to-do list in half.
In short, you must set priorities. “Consider what you are prepared to let go of. What do you have less of? Who are you going to let down? Which societal norms are you willing to compromise on? Instead of asking ourselves “how can I force myself to do more,” he says, we should be asking ourselves these questions.
2. Be Particular
According to Pychyl, procrastination is frequently motivated by “vague intentions.” For instance, you persuade yourself that you need to start a new fitness regimen or clean up your property. But you’re vague on the specifics, such as what you want to do and when you’ll start.
He claims that telling yourself, “I’ll do it this weekend,” has virtually no motivating power.
Rather, consider what you want to do and decide on a specific time and location. Set reminders on your phone and schedule a yoga class, for instance. You’ll be more likely to follow through if you are specific.
3. Have Fun
According to Dr. Wood, “repetition, repetition, repetition” is the key to forming habits.
She asserts that “we are most likely to repeat actions we enjoy.” “So, find a new action that you enjoy because of something you like about it.”
Find an engaging podcast, for instance, and only listen to it when you work out or run if you’re a lazy person. With time, you’ll start to view working out as “my favorite podcast time”—something you look forward to rather than something you dread.
4. Take tech-free breaks and practice single-tasking.
You must avoid distractions and maintain focus if you want to finish or begin anything.
This is made more challenging by technology, therefore think about removing it from the equation. Pychyl asserts that willpower is not a reliable option. “You must remove your phone and place it in a different room.”
Additionally, he advises installing programs or apps like RescueTime that can stop you from getting notifications or from browsing problematic websites or applications. You can start small, like 15 or 30 minutes a day without any technology, and work your way up.
5. Pay Attention
According to Pychyl, a lot of procrastination is due to habit, whether it’s putting off things or responding to them with anxiety or other negative feelings. Mindfulness techniques, which cultivate present-moment, nonjudgmental awareness, can be helpful in both situations.
“It’s important to be mindful and conscious of your own thoughts,” he explains. He says that practicing mindfulness can also help you focus and disregard outside distractions.
6. Be Kind to Yourself
In one study, Pychyl and associates looked at how college students reacted after procrastinating for a while. Students who forgave themselves (as opposed to becoming upset with themselves) after procrastinating before a test were less likely to do so again before the following one.
According to him, being critical of oneself leads to more negative emotions and self-evaluations, which increases the likelihood of procrastination. “You must practice self-compassion,” he advises. “Acknowledge that you will relapse, but concentrate on making progress.”
What does it mean to be lazy?
In psychology, “laziness” is not a clinical term. However, psychologists describe lazy as it is used in common speech, which is as the inability to behave or perform as expected because of conscious, controllable circumstances.