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Gratification is the pleasurable emotional reaction of happiness in response to a fulfillment of a desire or goal.
Gratification, like all emotions, is a motivator of behavior and thus plays a role in the entire range of human social systems.
Instant and Delayed Gratification
The disparaging term instant gratification is often used to label the satisfactions gained by more impulsive behaviors: choosing now over tomorrow. The skill of giving preference to long term goals over more immediate ones is known as deferred gratification or patience, and it is usually considered a virtue, pr...