Changes

In evolutionary [[psychology]] and in cognitive [[neuroscience]], patience is studied as a [[decision]]-making problem, involving the choice of either a small reward in a short span of [[time]], or a more valuable reward after a long period of time. All [[animal]]s, humans included, discount future rewards—the present value of delayed rewards is viewed as less than the [[value]] of immediate rewards.

In evolutionary [[psychology]] and in cognitive [[neuroscience]], patience is studied as a [[decision]]-making problem, involving the choice of either a small reward in a short span of [[time]], or a more valuable reward after a long period of time. All [[animal]]s, humans included, discount future rewards—the present value of delayed rewards is viewed as less than the [[value]] of immediate rewards.

In a 2005 study involving common marmosets and cottontop tamarins, both species faced a self-control [[paradigm]] in which [[individuals]] chose between taking an immediate small reward and waiting a variable amount of time for a large reward. Under these conditions, marmosets waited significantly longer for food than tamarins. This [[difference]] cannot be explained by life [[history]], social [[behaviour]] or [[brain]] size. It can, however, be explained by feeding [[ecology]]: marmosets rely on gum, a food product acquired by waiting for exudate to [[flow]] from trees, whereas tamarins feed on insects, a food product requiring impulsive action. Foraging ecology, therefore, may provide a selective pressure for the [[evolution]] of [[Self mastery|self-control]].[1]

In a 2005 study involving common marmosets and cottontop tamarins, both species faced a self-control [[paradigm]] in which [[individuals]] chose between taking an immediate small reward and waiting a variable amount of time for a large reward. Under these conditions, marmosets waited significantly longer for food than tamarins. This [[difference]] cannot be explained by life [[history]], social [[behaviour]] or [[brain]] size. It can, however, be explained by feeding [[ecology]]: marmosets rely on gum, a food product acquired by waiting for exudate to [[flow]] from trees, whereas tamarins feed on insects, a food product requiring impulsive action. Foraging ecology, therefore, may provide a selective pressure for the [[evolution]] of [[Self-mastery|self-control]].[1]

 

==Religious perspectives==

==Religious perspectives==

Patience is often described as a core [[virtue]] in [[religion]] or [[spiritual]] [[practice]]s. For example, [[Book of Job|Job]] is a figure that appears in the [[Hebrew Bible]], [[Christian Bible]] and the [[Qur'an]]; his story is considered a [[profound]] religious [[work]]. At its core, the theme is the co-existence of [[evil]] and [[God]] and the application of patience is highlighted as the antidote to the earthly struggles caused by that co-existence. The plot of the [[book]] is that Job endures near-[[apocalyptic]] calamities without losing his patience or reproaching Divine [[Providence]]. In the [[Qur'an]], the person of Job is actually known as Ayyūb (Arabic: أيوب ), which is a name that is [[symbolic]] of the [[virtue]] of patience (although it does not mean patience in itself).

Patience is often described as a core [[virtue]] in [[religion]] or [[spiritual]] [[practice]]s. For example, [[Book of Job|Job]] is a figure that appears in the [[Hebrew Bible]], [[Christian Bible]] and the [[Qur'an]]; his story is considered a [[profound]] religious [[work]]. At its core, the theme is the co-existence of [[evil]] and [[God]] and the application of patience is highlighted as the antidote to the earthly struggles caused by that co-existence. The plot of the [[book]] is that Job endures near-[[apocalyptic]] calamities without losing his patience or reproaching Divine [[Providence]]. In the [[Qur'an]], the person of Job is actually known as Ayyūb (Arabic: أيوب ), which is a name that is [[symbolic]] of the [[virtue]] of patience (although it does not mean patience in itself).