Future orientation as a mediator between perceived environmental cues in likelihood of future success and procrastination

•Procrastination may be part of a fast life history strategy.•A low likelihood of future success in the environments predicted greater procrastination.•Future orientation meditated the association between likelihood of future success and procrastination.

Within the evolutionary framework of life history approach, procrastination-the purposive delay of an intended task-is seen as a life history trait characterized by prioritizing immediate benefits with little regard for long-term consequences under particular environmental conditions. The present study proposes that environment cues indicating a low likelihood of future success may lead to greater procrastination, and temporal orientation may represent a mediator underlying this relationship between likelihood of future success and procrastination. A total of 252 undergraduate students completed the Probability Judgments Scale to assess likelihood of future success in their environments, the Future Orientation Scale to assess future orientation, and three scales to assess procrastination. Structural equation modeling indicated that, as predicted, lower likelihood of future success in the environments predicted greater procrastination, a relationship that exhibited both a direct pathway and an indirect pathway through future orientation. These results define the life history origin of procrastination. Limitations and suggestions for future research are discussed.