This study looked at how anxiety affects procrastination in university students. Procrastination means putting off schoolwork even when you know you shouldn’t. Over 3,300 university students took surveys on anxiety, ego depletion, and procrastination. Results showed that anxious students were more likely to procrastinate, partly because anxiety wore them out mentally.
Gender mattered too: for guys, anxiety had a stronger link to procrastination. For girls, ego depletion had a bigger impact—possibly because they reflect more on emotions and try to meet social expectations, which uses up more self-control.
The takeaway? Procrastination isn’t just laziness—it’s often tied to anxiety and mental fatigue. Knowing this can help students, teachers, and schools tackle it with stress management, better habits, and support systems.
