Exploring the genetics of "I'll do it tomorrow"

This article talks about research published in Psychological Science that suggests that Procrastination and impulsivity are genetically linked. The research question that Daniel Gustavson of the University of Colorado Boulder wanted to explore is why some people procrastinate more than others and why they seem more likely to take rash actions.
The study took 181 identical-twin pairs and 166 fraternal-twin pairs and made them complete several surveys which gauged their tendencies of procrastination and impulsive behaviors. They found that procrastination and impulsivity are not only both heritable but they also complete overlap genetically. This suggests that procrastination is an evolutionary by product of impulsivity.  
Gustavson hopes that studying more of this relationship and the mechanics behind it may lead to interventions to prevent such behavior.
I find this type of research, that overlaps genetics and psychology to be very interesting. It seems that recently, the scientific community has been exploring the evidence that suggests that psychological conditions are passed between generations. This article and one of the articles I discussed before on trauma in mice both support this notion. It is interesting to think the ramifications of this evidence. It begs the question, are we really in control of our emotions and states of mind or are they just a product of evolution and genetics? If we are not in control of emotions and their actions caused by them and they are already "preset" (and likely triggered by the environment around us), the research to learn the underpinnings of emotional actions like impulsivity and procrastination become of utmost interest.

Related Article on Genetic Influence on Human Psychological Traits: http://stormchan.org/study/src/1347441918244.pdf

Procrastination and Impulsivity are Genetically Linked

In this article, procrastination and impulsivity are genetically linked.  This suggests that these two traits come from similar evolutionary origins, according to research published in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science.  The research indicates that these traits are related to our ability to successfully pursue and handle goals.  In order to understand these traits, twins were studied.  Identical twins share 100% of their genes and tend to show greater similarities in behavior than fraternal twins, who only share 50% of their genes (just like any other siblings).  Researchers use this genetic discrepancy to their advantage in order to figure out the relative importance of genetic and environmental influences on particular behaviors, like procrastination and impulsivity.  The researchers had 181 identical-twin pairs and 166 fraternal-twin pairs complete several surveys intended to examine their tendencies toward impulsivity and procrastination, as well as their ability to set and maintain goals.  They discovered that procrastination and impulsivity are heritable.  In addition to that, there is a complete genetic overlap between procrastination and impulsivity , meaning there are no genetic influences that are unique to either trait alone.  Basically, procrastination is an evolutionary byproduct of impulsivity which most likely manifests itself more in the modern world than in the world of our ancestors.  Also, the link between procrastination and impulsivity overlapped genetically with the ability to manage goals.  Researchers are now studying how procrastination and impulsivity are related to higher-level cognitive abilities.

Original article: http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/275223.php
To learn more about procrastination, visit: http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newHTE_96.htm