Impatience has long been documented as a human struggle, from ancient Buddhist texts to Roman meditations, but modern culture has intensified the problem. According to Sarah Schnitker, a psychologist at Baylor University, today’s fast-paced, on-demand environment treats waiting as a glitch rather than an inevitable part of life, fostering expectations of instant gratification that frequently collide with reality.
Three Types of Patience
Schnitker identifies three distinct forms of patience. “Micro-patience” involves handling daily hassles like Wi-Fi outages and basement leaks. “Life-hardships patience” addresses major obstacles such as chronic health conditions that slow daily routines. “Interpersonal patience” means tolerating delays caused by others—slow drivers, unreliable coworkers, or children taking time to get ready. According to Kate Sweeny, a psychology professor at the University of California, Riverside, these types overlap significantly, meaning that practicing patience in one area can translate to improved patience in others.
Health and Well-being Benefits
Research demonstrates concrete benefits from cultivating patience. In Schnitker’s studies, people who rated themselves highly on patience tried harder toward long-term goals and found greater meaning in doing so over the following two weeks. Patience helps prevent burnout, which Schnitker notes “is a bigger dream-killer than other negative responses like anger.”
Evidence also shows that people capable of waiting for rewards are considerably more likely to make it to age 65 and have fewer medical conditions and hospitalizations than impatient individuals. Patience correlates with healthier weight and metabolism, reduced pain among heart disease patients, better adherence to exercise routines, and balanced diets. Additionally, impatience worsens mental health and decreases friendliness and willingness to help others, while some research has linked patience to lower suicide risk.
Practical Strategies
Sweeny and other researchers recommend several approaches. Setting realistic expectations involves limiting social media exposure, which can create a sense of falling behind through curated highlight reels. Changing your mindset means thinking more constructively—such as considering empathetic explanations for others’ behavior or focusing on personal agency during uncertain waits. When women awaiting biopsy results were asked if good could come from a potential diagnosis, 76% replied that it could.
Mindfulness practices, including meditation or savoring pleasant moments, help counter the modern sense of time poverty. Amy Errmann, a senior lecturer at Auckland University of Technology in New Zealand, has found mindfulness reduces impulsivity and slows down time perception. Getting into flow states—deep, effortless focus—also helps manage waiting periods by absorbing attention.
Importantly, Schnitker notes that impatience isn’t always problematic; it may signal problems requiring active solutions rather than passive waiting. Having both patience and courage allows people to choose which response fits each situation.
This article is an AI-assisted summary. All facts and figures are drawn from the original report: https://time.com/7353412/patient-train-your-brain-more-patience/