Blame English For Your Lack Of Self-Control

“Different languages have different ways of talking about the future. Some languages, such as English, Korean, and Russian, require their speakers to refer to the future explicitly. Every time English-speakers talk about the future, they have to use future markers such as ‘will’ or ‘going to.’ In other languages, such as Mandarin, Japanese, and German, future markers are not obligatory…. Languages such as English constantly remind their speakers that future events are distant. For speakers of languages such as Mandarin future feels closer. As a consequence, resisting immediate impulses and investing for the future is easier for Mandarin speakers.”