Work-ethics and time preferences of adolescents

Abstract

Patience is a behavioral trait that is very related to positive life outcomes. With a sample composed of 4,000 adolescents, we use the AUT (Alternative Uses task) to determine whether future-oriented adolescents perform, outperform, or excel at the task. The AUT asks individuals to list all the unusual uses for a common object, in this case, a brick. Results show that patient individuals not only performed better on the task, giving more uses than their counterparts, but also outperformed better by proposing more unique uses and avoiding repetition with themselves. Patient individuals also excelled at the task, proposing more original uses, showing a commendable work ethic, striving for self-improvement.

 

Status: Ongoing