Scholars Mind

The Psychology of Patience

“Are we there yet?” is a question linked with impatience. Explore the psychology of patience: what makes some people willing to calmly wait a little longer? Is patience more valued in some cultures than in others? And does patience have downsides?

In Shrek 2, Donkey asks it every ten seconds for the length of a carriage ride, until Shrek stops answering. Everyone recognizes the passenger; almost nobody enjoys being one.

Key concepts

Delay Discounting
How steeply a reward loses value just for arriving late. Offer someone $50 today or $60 next month; a steep discounter takes the $50, and the same curve predicts who saves, who smokes and who can sit through a slow queue.

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Every work — at a glance

  • "Are We There Yet?" (Shrek 2) — DreamWorks, 2004 (film)

    The 2004 gag that gave the theme its face: Donkey, voiced by Eddie Murphy, asking and asking on the road to Far Far Away.

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What to know

  1. 01
    What makes some people wait is mostly trust. Self-control is part of it, but larger replications of the marshmallow test found the effect shrinks once family background is controlled for — and a child who has learned that adults break promises is being rational, not weak, when they eat the marshmallow now.

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Across subjects

History's sharpest reply came from a Birmingham jail in 1963, where Martin Luther King answered clergymen urging him to be patient: this 'Wait' has almost

Theme connection

"Are We There Yet?"

Impatience is the mood the whole year runs on, and this turns it back on the asker. One side calls patience a plain virtue — self-control outlasts panic, and the wait usually pays. The other notes that almost every change anyone is proud of was won by people who refused to wait.

Practice — a sample

LITDonkey watches the wheels turn for hours and asks again every minute. The ride is MOST LIKE —

  • A A console log
  • B A skeleton screen
  • C A spinning throbber
  • D A loading minigame
  • E A branded splash

Sign in to answer and see why each option is right or wrong.

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