2.1: THE PIG

The Problem of Immediate Gratification [the PIG] refers to the universal principle that immediacy is much more important than magnitude of a reward when it comes to influencing real-time behavior. This is especially true for animals, children and impulsive adults. Impulsivity is defined as the tendency to choose a small reward now at the expense of a large reward that you could have had if you waited [e.g., choosing $1 now over $10 tomorrow]. Alternatively, impulsivity can mean avoiding a small punishment now and getting the big punishment later [e.g., avoiding dental treatment]. Incentives which offer immediate payoffs are especially corrupting.

The relationship between immediacy of reward and its influence on local motivational state is hyperbolic. So when the incentive is nearby [in terms of time, space, or psychological distance] it can be terribly influential on real-time behavior. See Figure 1 below.

Some outcomes such as physical health, professional success, or loving relationships may have large magnitude, but are not produced immediately by a specific behavior. In contrast the gratification produced by consuming a drug or alcohol is immediate, and for that reason exerts an influence on behavior that is disproportional to its importance. Some people behave as if they valued this incentive more than they value health, wealth, or family.

This phenomenon looks different than it feels, and using the incentive is experienced differently when it is happening than in retrospect. So even though they may feel guilty about it later, crack heads have been known to trade their babies for small amounts of the drug.

Figure 1: The PIG



Motivation is fluid, and changes with local conditions. When the incentive is near it has a greater influence on motivation than the commitment you made some time ago. Changes in motivation alter perception in ways that you cannot now fully appreciate. Choices that may seem ridiculous now may seem to be a good idea in certain situations.

Ultimately your success or failure is determined by how you perform when you encounter the high risk situations that lie ahead. At these critical moments you will be in conflict: Pulling in one direction is the motivation to follow the path of greatest advantage, and pulling in the other is the motivation to yield in the direction of least resistance.

Below is a concrete example of an approach-avoidance conflict in which the line with arrows pointing to the right indicates the desire to engage the incentive and receive it’s benefits, and the line with arrows point to the left represents the motivation to avoid the price that will be paid later. In the example shown below the punishment is ten times greater than the reward, but delayed by one unit of time.


Figure 2: Approach-Avoidance Conflict




When you are far from the incentive, the motivation to avoid is greater than the motivation to approach. But when you are near the incentive the PIG works it’s magic and the pull of the incentive can become very strong very quickly. Once the gradients cross and the motivation to approach is greater than the motivating to avoid, the loss of control can be stunning.

The graph below (Figure 3) shows the gradient of net attraction to the incentive--that is, the motivation to approach the incentive minus the motivation to avoid it.


Figure 3: Net Motivation






When the motivation to avoid the incentive is subtracted from the motivation to approach it, the resulting gradient of net motivation is also hyperbolic; the tendency to approach increases exponentially as the distance between you and the incentive decreases.

When you are far from the incentive the gradient of net attraction is below zero indicating motivation to avoid the incentive. Under such circumstances the prospect of changing your ways looks easy. But when you are near the incentive - in terms of time, space, or psychological distance – net attraction will be greater than zero, and you will be motivated to approach the incentive. As you do, the pull of the incentive increases exponentially until it becomes sufficient to overcome your motivation to control your actions and you lapse. Once the distance between you and the incentive begins to shrink, the only way out is to exert an extreme effort to somehow put distance between you and it..

Note that the motivation to lapse is relatively flat until the it crosses “X” axis. But as soon as it does the increase in net attraction is so rapid that you may lapse before you know it – there may be no internal debate, no attempt to over-ride the urge, you may simply go from intending not to lapse to intending to lapse – literally before you knew what hit you.