Researchers from the Nencki Institute have investigated who benefits most from cognitive behavioural therapy for procrastination and what makes the therapy work. They found that people who struggle with emotion regulation benefit the most, while positive reinforcement plays an important role in changing behaviour. The findings have been published in Behaviour Research and Therapy, the world’s oldest journal dedicated to cognitive behavioural therapy.

Procrastination is the tendency to repeatedly delay or put things off. “This is a way of avoiding the psychological discomfort associated with a difficult, boring or time-consuming task. Putting something off brings temporary relief and improves our mood, which makes us more likely to repeat the same behaviour in the future,” says study leader Marek Wypych, PhD, DSc, from the Laboratory of Brain Imaging at the Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology, Polish Academy of Sciences, in Warsaw.

Procrastination affects many people around the world, but it is particularly common among students. Research shows that between 50 and 95 per cent of students worldwide chronically postpone academic tasks. The consequences can be serious: students who procrastinate tend to get lower grades, even though they are no less capable or intelligent. People who frequently put things off also tend to earn less, are more likely to be unemployed, and report more depressive and physical symptoms.

This is why it is worth studying interventions that can help. One approach is cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), which offers practical ways to break the cycle of constantly putting things off.

“Previous studies had already shown that CBT can be effective. We wanted to find out how it works and which processes during therapy actually contribute to behavioural change. We also looked at which characteristics of the participants affected how well the therapy worked,” says Marek Wypych.

The study was carried out by researchers from the Nencki Institute working in a consortium with SWPS University and the Institute of Psychology of the Polish Academy of Sciences. Participants were students from across Poland who reported serious problems with procrastination and, importantly, were actively looking for help.

“We screened applications using questionnaires and clinical interviews conducted by psychotherapists. We wanted to make sure that procrastination was indeed the students’ main problem and that they did not have other conditions severe enough to require more urgent attention. If they did, we gave them information on where they could seek appropriate help,” says PhD student Magdalena Pietruch, first author of the paper published in Behaviour Research and Therapy.

A total of 459 people qualified for the study - a notable number in psychotherapy research, where studies often involve only a few dozen participants.

“Such a large group is unusual in psychotherapy research. With limited resources, it is difficult to recruit so many participants who meet specific criteria. Having this number of participants gives us greater confidence that our findings are based on solid evidence,” says Magdalena Pietruch.

The study group included students diagnosed with ADHD, depression and social anxiety, so that it would better reflect the real student population.

Participants took part in five weeks of online group therapy led by trained cognitive behavioural therapists. Around 30 specialists were involved in the project.

“Cognitive behavioural therapy has three main components. The first is psychoeducation. The students learned what procrastination is, where it comes from and how it can be linked to emotions, helping them understand themselves a little better,” explains Marek Wypych.

The second component focuses on thoughts and emotions. Participants looked at the thoughts that accompanied their procrastination - including the familiar feeling of “I really don’t want to do this.”

“They learned that they could replace these thoughts with ones that support action. For example: ‘Once I get this done, I won’t have to worry about it anymore.’ It is not about telling yourself, ‘Who are you? A winner!’ It is about consciously choosing thoughts that genuinely support and motivate you,” says Wypych.

The third component is behavioural: putting practical techniques into action. These include breaking tasks down into smaller, realistic steps and making specific plans - for example, deciding that if you are going to start working at 10 a.m. tomorrow, then you really start at 10.

The students’ progress was assessed using 16 questionnaires before, during and after therapy. Six months after the programme ended, the Nencki Institute researchers also checked how lasting the effects were.

“Our analysis showed that the most important factor in overcoming procrastination was a change in the emotional approach to the task. This involved both increasing positive emotions connected with important tasks that had been postponed and reducing negative ones,” says Magdalena Pietruch.

Strengthening positive experiences turned out to be especially important. This included becoming more interested in the task, feeling proud after completing part of the work and being able to move on to the next step, and recognising the value of the task itself. Improved self-regulation also mattered - in other words, being able to keep working despite discomfort such as boredom - as did a better understanding of one’s own emotions.

According to the researchers, these findings point to ways of improving psychotherapy for procrastination and making it more effective.

“We taught participants that even after completing a small part of a task, they could give themselves some credit and think, ‘Hey, I did it.’ After finishing something bigger, they might make themselves a nice cup of tea, go for a walk or go to the cinema. That can be motivating too, because people who procrastinate often feel overwhelmed by everything they should be doing but are not doing. It can start to feel as if life is nothing but work,” says Marek Wypych.

In other words, positive reinforcement appears to play a particularly important role for people who struggle with procrastination. As Wypych points out, they often have lower self-esteem and a reduced sense of self-efficacy.

During therapy, the students found that simple positive reinforcement helped them deal with difficult tasks more quickly and effectively than before. This, in turn, strengthened their sense of agency and responsibility for the outcomes of their own actions.

Another important finding was that cognitive behavioural therapy was particularly helpful for people who had difficulty regulating emotions.

“This includes difficulties recognising, experiencing and calming emotions. One example is being unable to focus on a task when experiencing unpleasant emotions. It also applies to people who find it difficult to accept their emotions or feel guilty for having them,” says Magdalena Pietruch.

The study also showed that the benefits of therapy did not depend on gender or on whether participants had ADHD, depression or anxiety disorders. This suggests that people with these conditions can benefit from therapy for procrastination to a similar extent.

Link to the paper: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0005796726001592

About the Nencki Institute

The Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology was founded in Warsaw in 1918 on the initiative of Kazimierz Białaszewicz, Edward Flatau and Romuald Minkiewicz. It was named after Marceli Nencki (1847–1901), an outstanding Polish chemist, physician and physiologist who worked in Bern and St Petersburg and is regarded as one of the founders of modern biochemistry.

Researchers at the Nencki Institute develop state-of-the-art research methods and use advanced technologies to carry out interdisciplinary scientific projects. Much of the Institute’s research focuses on new therapies and diagnostic approaches for neurodegenerative diseases, metabolic disorders, cancer and other conditions affecting human health.

The Institute’s research is supported by specialised core facilities that carry out their own research and provide a wide range of services, including preclinical studies, DNA sequencing, the production of transgenic animals and biological imaging - from light and electron microscopy to magnetic resonance imaging.

The Institute’s strategy of supporting innovation has contributed to a steady increase in scientific publications and inventions protected by Polish and international patents, while also strengthening collaboration with industry.