St. Louis Fed, Report: Why Are We So Impatient? A Look into Money and Delayed Gratification

“There are human behaviors or habits that we consider healthy, such as exercising and eating nourishing foods. We may strive to do our best to exhibit those behaviors, but there is usually something pulling us in a differ­ent direction. The notion of saving money, whether for something new in the future, a financial emergency, or retirement, is considered a healthy financial habit. But getting into the habit of saving money for later use is just as challenging as committing to exercising or eating better.”