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Patience is a great virtue
Patience means the ability to wait calmly in the face of frustration or adversity. It’s a quiet virtue encouraged by many world religions and philosophers.
Patience is attitude
Patience is one of the nine attitudes of mindfulness described by mindfulness teacher, researcher, and best-selling author Jon Kabat-Zinn. While impatience betrays a desire to be done with now and get to the future, patience means we’re focused on the way things are in the present.
Patience is good for our health
Patient people experience fewer symptoms of illness, such as headaches and ulcers. Meanwhile, people who exhibit impatience and irritability—a characteristic of the Type A personality—tend to have more health complaints and worse sleep.
Patience makes people more human
Patient people are less likely to experience negative emotions and depression. They tend to be more equitable and forgiving, have more self-control, and show more empathic concern for others.
We can increase patience with mindfulness and gratitude
Kids who did a six-month mindfulness program in school became less impulsive and more willing to wait for a reward. Adults who are feeling grateful are also better at delaying gratification.
For more on the science of patience, visit the Greater Good Science Center at UC Berkeley.