Cultural Notes

Directions：Read the following short passage related to the video you are going to watch.

Procrastination

Procrastination is the avoidance of doing a task that needs to be accomplished.It is the practice of doing more pleasurable things in place of less pleasurable ones，or carrying out less urgent tasks instead of more urgent ones，thus putting off impending（迫切的）tasks to a later time.Sometimes，procrastination takes place until the“last minute”before a deadline.Procrastination can take hold on any aspect of life—putting off cleaning the stove，repairing a leaky roof，seeing a doctor or dentist，submitting a job report or academic assignment or broaching（谈起）a stressful issue with a partner.Procrastination can lead to feelings of guilt，inadequacy，depression and self⁃doubt.

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In a study of academic procrastination from the University of Vermont，46%of the subjects reported that they“always”or“nearly always”procrastinate writing papers，while approximately 30%reported procrastinating studying for exams and reading weekly assignments（27.6%and 30.1%respectively）.Nearly a quarter of the subjects reported that procrastination was a problem for them，regarding the same tasks.However，as many as 65%indicated that they would like to reduce their procrastination when writing papers and approximately 62%indicated the same for studying for exams and 55%for reading weekly assignments.

Another study showed that“52%of surveyed students indicated having a moderate to high need for help concerning procrastination.”It is estimated that 80%－95%of college students engage in procrastination，and approximately 75%consider themselves procrastinators.In a study performed on university students，procrastination was shown to be greater on tasks that were perceived as unpleasant or as impositions（强加）than on tasks for which the student believed he or she lacked the required skills for accomplishing the task.

For some people，procrastination can be persistent and tremendously disruptive（破坏的）to everyday life.For these individuals，procrastination may be symptomatic（有症状的）of a psychological disorder.Procrastination has been linked to a number of negative associations，such as depression，irrational behavior，low self⁃esteem，anxiety and neurological（神经学）disorders such as ADHD（Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder　注意力缺陷多动症）.Others have found relationships with guilt and stress.Therefore，it is important for people whose procrastination has become chronic（慢性的）and is perceived to be debilitating（使人衰弱）to seek out a trained therapist（治疗专家）or psychiatrist（神经病医生）to see if an underlying mental health issue may be present.