gratification

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding reliable references. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (September 2007)

Gratification is the positive emotional reaction of happiness in response to a fulfillment of a desire. Maturity is often defined as the ability of deferred gratification (patience), and progress as the real or imagined perception of movement towards gratification. Western culture is sometimes criticized for its emphasis on instant gratification^{[citation needed]}, i.e., the conscious expenditure of effort to make the time interval between wanting something and getting it as short as possible. This focus may be due in part to the influence of utilitarianism, the consequentialist belief that morality can be measured by the overall yield of happiness (utility) that results from a particular action^{[citation needed]}. One example of a significant influence of this theory is the importance of cost-benefit analysis in Western economic theory^{[citation needed]}.

See also

• deferred gratification
• pleasure

This mental health-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.