Remember the computer lab near the end of spring semester?

Chances are you'll recall weary-eyed students staring blankly at the screen, trying to reach the minimum word limit on a paper as a deadline approaches. Many were probably thinking, "Why did I decide to start this paper this morning instead of two weeks ago, like I had planned?" Meanwhile, others, those labeled "non-procrastinators," sit comfortably in their dorm rooms watching reruns of "The Simpsons."

Procrastination is a behavior that most, if not all, college students fall prey to. But what about us makes us procrastinate? Furthermore, what are the effects of procrastination? Scientists have studied procrastination in everyday life and, most extensively, in academic endeavors. Some have labeled procrastination as a "self-defeating" behavior, even proposing intervention steps, as if procrastination were an illness. Others assert that procrastination has real benefits, including higher quality of work brought on by the pressure of an impending deadline.

Scientifically, procrastination is defined as "postponing the completion of a task to the point of feeling uncomfortable about one's delay" (Johnson and Bloom, 1995).

An estimated 15-25% of the adult population procrastinate sometime in their lives (Vodanovich and Seib, 1997).

Vodanovich and Seib (1997) provide several reasons why students involuntarily resort to procrastination. Putting off work delays getting "accurate performance feedback" and, consequently, protects self-esteem. They cite a fear of failure or rejection and the determination to be a perfectionist as factors contributing to procrastination. Also, many individuals actually enjoy the rush that results from waiting until the last moment to accomplish as feat.

Not surprisingly, the tendency to procrastinate also stems from a dislike for the task at hand (Milgram et al., 1995). Through a survey of high-school students, these researchers found that task aversiveness, not task capability, determines whether a person will procrastinate. Moreover, those who were less capable on a specific task were more upset about procrastinating than more capable individuals.

Another explanation for procrastination is what Buehler et al. (1994) call the "planning fallacy" - constantly underestimating the time needed to complete something. The task could be building the Sydney Opera House (which opened ten years later than planned) or, on a smaller scale, completing a term paper at college. This phenomenon occurs even if one has experienced negative consequences previously from doing so. Therefore, students believe they are allotting enough time to adequately finish projects when they soon realize that they might need an extension.

In a study by Buehler (1994), 37 students were asked to predict completion times for their senior theses; the average estimate was 33.9 days. As the term progressed, only 29.7% had completed the task in the time they had predicted. The average for actual days taken to complete the senior thesis was 55.5 days.

Procrastination has largely been viewed as the cause of negative outcomes. However, Tice and Baumeister (1997) have been able to cite some advantages. In their study of procrastination versus health and stress, they found that at the beginning of the term procrastinators had a lower level of stress, which rose as the deadline of the assignment became more immediate. Procrastinators were also healthier early in the semester, as shown by lower number symptoms reported (an average of 2.8 symptoms/week for nonprocrastinators vs. 1.4 symptoms/week for procrastinators at he start of the semester.) For procrastinators, the beginning of a term is often care-free, as opposed to that of those who started working immediately. Increasing levels of stress and health problems began right away for nonprocrastinators. Therefore, procrastinators retain good health as long as the deadline is not near.

In addition, material learned closer to the deadline may be useful for writing a paper. Procrastinators also claim that an imposed deadline makes them more efficient and more motivated to do well.

These short-term benefits have long-term costs, however. Procrastination is correlated with several health problems. Depression, vulnerable self-esteem, and anxiety are related to those who procrastinate. Anxiety levels are especially high for procrastinators near exam period, and these same individuals feel the most relief once they turn in important papers. While procrastinators' stress level and health are good at the beginning of a semester, problems arise as the semester progresses. Late in the semester, procrastinators reported an average of 8.2 symptoms per week, while nonprocrastinators only had 5.2 symptoms per week (Tice and Baumeister, 1997.)

In the same study, 44 college students were given a due date for a paper. They were also told that they could get extensions. Researchers found differences in performance levels, even when the same amount of time was spent on a task. Overall, procrastinators had considerably lower grades on the one paper and two exams assigned during the semester. Therefore, procrastinators produce inferior work, contrary to beliefs that the best work is done under pressure. Researchers have suggested that possibly the ones who procrastinate are the less intelligent students; however, studies by Ferrari (1991) found that in no way does intelligence level correlate with procrastination.

When students underestimate the amount of time needed, less effort is often devoted to the task at hand. Also, setbacks do the most damage when one is starting a task late, when compared to the early starter who has more than enough time to deal with the delay and continue as planned.