8 Ways Evolution Has Royally Screwed You Over

8. It's Responsible For Your Chronic Procrastination

You know the drill. You've got an assignment to start, a report to finish or a workout to cry through. If you start right now you should be done in time for Eastenders. The again, if you just wait until after Eastenders, you could get it done before bedtime. Then, before you know it, it's the middle of the night, you've cleaned your bathroom, done your taxes and read up on the Indus Valley civilisation and your report is still woefully unfinished.

The good news is that it's not your fault.

According to research in Psychological Science, the traits of impulsivity and procrastination are actually heritable, and researchers have found that the tendency to procrastinate is written into our genes.

Evolutionarily speaking, it makes sense that our ancestors would be more likely to favour short-term goals, due to the ever-present danger of being gored by something sabre-toothed.

In this context, short-term easy wins are much more likely to pay off for you and your kin group than long-term planning, leading to the increased likelihood that impulsive procrastinators are more likely to get down to a bit of nookie and pass on those work-shy genes.