The triple psychological and neural bases underlying procrastination: Evidence based on a two-year longitudinal study

The triple brain anatomical network model of procrastination theorized procrastination as the result of psychological and neural dysfunction implicated in self-control, emotion regulation and episodic prospection. However, no studies have provided empirical evidence for such model. To address this issue, we designed a two-wave longitudinal study where participants underwent the resting-state scanning and completed the questionnaires at two time-points that spanned 2-year apart (T1, n = 457; T2, n = 457). Using the cross-lagged panel network modeling (CLPN), we found that triple psychological components at T1, including self-control, emotion regulation (i.e., reappraisal) and episodic prospection, negatively predicted procrastination at T2 in the temporal network. Moreover, the CLPN modeling found that functional connectivity between networks accounting for episodic prospection (EP) and emotion regulation (ER) positively predicted future procrastination in the temporal network. The centrality analyzes further showed that procrastination was greatly affected by other nodes, whilst the psychological component (i.e., episodic prospection), and the functional network connectivity (FNC) of EP-ER exerted strongest impacts on other nodes in the networks, which indicated that treatments targeting episodic prospection might largely help reduce procrastination. Collectively, these findings firstly provide evidence for testifying the triple brain anatomical network model of procrastination, and highlights the contribution of triple psychological and neural components implicated in self-control, emotion regulation and episodic prospection to procrastination that enhances our understanding of causes of procrastination.

Automated summary

This study provides evidence for the neural and psychological mechanisms of procrastination through longitudinal research and network modeling. The study found that self-control, emotion regulation, and episodic prospection negatively predicted future procrastination, while the functional connectivity between episodic prospection and emotion regulation positively predicted future procrastination. In the network, procrastination was greatly influenced by other nodes, with episodic prospection and the functional connectivity of episodic prospection and emotion regulation exerting the strongest impacts on other nodes.