Gratification is the positive emotional response (happiness) to a fulfilment of desire.

Maturity is often defined as the ability to delay gratification (patience).

Western culture is sometimes criticized for its emphasis on instant gratification, i.e., the conscious expenditure of effort to make the time interval between wanting something and getting it as short as possible. This focus may be due in part to the influence of utilitarianism, the consequentialist belief that morality can be measured by the overall yield of happiness (utility) that results from a particular action. One example of a significant influence of this theory is the importance of cost-benefit analysis in Western economic theory.

See also

• deferred gratification

Emotion

Satisfaction (sentiment)