Fill in the blank: “______ is a virtue.” That’s a pretty easy task, right? Of all the “virtues” people know of, patience is the one that is most repeatedly referred to as a virtue. 1 Corinthians 13, in its definition of love, first describes love as “patient,” but then ends with an emphasis on faith, hope, and love, not on patience. So why is patience so singled out in our society, in Christianity, and in most cultures as a virtue to strive and aim for? Well, psychological research finds multiple positive life outcomes related to the personality trait of patience, which supports the biblical emphasis on it and can explain more why Christians (and non-Christians) should foster this virtue in their lives.

I grew up in a Christian home and environment, with loving and devoted Christian parents, siblings, and extended family. Though our church attendance was not always to the same congregation and not always on a weekly basis, my parents worked hard to instruct us in biblical ways. So, I have always been familiar with the fruits of the spirit, such as “forbearance” (a synonym of “patience”) from Galatians 5:22. I’ve grown up with the fact that God is “slow to anger” as is proclaimed in Exodus 34:6. I know without a doubt that Ecclesiastes 7:8 is correct when it says “…patience is better than pride.” However, in my adult life, I do not always live up to these tenants. For instance, when I have moved out and back into my college housing with the help of my parents and boyfriend this year, it only takes a couple of hours of work and disorganized boxes for me to begin snapping at my loved ones and very impatiently assigning them tasks. I’m aware of my rudeness in the moment, but I allow my stress to dictate my words and actions, taking out my frustration and eagerness to get the job done on others. Afterward, I apologize for my impatient temper, but that apology doesn’t stop it from happening again during the next semester. Patience is not my go-to temperament, it is rather one that I later feel guilty for not engaging in.

The Bible clearly gives many definitional components of patience, but that is not the only definition in the world. Merriam-Webster Online dictionary defines “patient” as “able to remain calm and not become annoyed when waiting for a long time or when dealing with problems or difficult people” (Merriam-Webster, 2015). This definition puts the ideas presented in the Bible into simpler, more identifiable terms. Psychological research also has some definitions. In their psychoanalytic review aptly titled “Patience”, Salman Akhtar gives four “components” of patience: acceptance of the present reality (both internal and external), not having resentful or bitter emotions toward others, a hopeful attitude that things will get better, and the ability to wait for those better times without being restless (Akhtar, 2015). Each of these components seem to align very well with biblical tenants of patience, and though they are psychologically founded, they can connect to every biblical mention of patience in some way. Already, it is clear that psychology supports the Bible in this way.

What about the benefits and importance of being patient? One experiment, in which Turkish elementary school children were given six pieces of chocolate to divide for consumption over the course of two days, found that students who stuck to their plan of when they would eat the chocolate and did not eat ahead were more patient (Alan & Ertac, 2015). These more patient students were found to be more successful in school and achieved higher grades overall (Alan & Ertac, 2015). It’s safe to assume that success as a student can also mean success in the workplace, and generally that patience leads one to be more studious and prepared. These attributes would hold many positive life outcomes, and I firmly believe that God would want us to benefit in our pursuits through patience rather than more devious or greedy attitudes.

I know it is easy for me to get very stressed in my life, especially as a college student and theatre major. That’s why it’s motivating to know that psychologists found that individuals with high trait patience were less likely to feel stressed in normally stressful situations (Schnitker & Emmons, 2015). I know that I would love to feel less stress, and though it may seem counterintuitive to achieve lower stress by being more patient during stressful events (when you may naturally want to hurry or speed through), this psychological finding encourages me to pursue patience more. It reminds me of the verse in Matthew 6:25-34 that says, “…Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?” because worrying to me almost always equals stress.

Now I’d like to discuss the related concept of impatience. In order to discuss this, it is again important to define the concept. While a typical dictionary definition is most often will say it is just not being patient, Akhtar defines impatience as “chronic hurrying,” components of which include multi-tasking, a “pressured” way of talking, and “restlessness” with the normal and steady rate of events in life (Akhtar, 2015). Writing out this definition hits home with me personally, because those who know me well would describe me with some of those attributes more often than not. Can these traits, so common in the current college generation, really be bad for people? Well, Akhtar also gives some potential and observed results of chronic hurrying, such as compromising one’s morality and making questionably ethical decisions in order to speed things up, both of which could have dire consequences on one’s professional and personal life. For example, if a chronic hurrier needed to complete a reading summary for a class that would take two hours to do, but their roommate had already done the reading and offered to write a quick summary to help them focus on bigger assignments, they would be more likely to accept. That is cheating, which is both unethical and cause for expulsion. It seems that impatience may skew one’s priorities to a point of self-destruction, in certain circumstances.

Internally, impatience may make individuals unable to inhibit immediate responses to negative emotions (Espin and colleagues, 2015). This study of individual’s practices in bargaining and making hypothetical business deals found that the impatient participants rejected more low offers and offered unfair compromises to others (Espin and colleagues, 2015). This seems to suggest that when one is more impatient, they are also more self-centered, an attribute clearly discouraged biblically. Finally, impatient people were found focus on the past in a negative light (Schnitker and Emmons, 2015). The Bible emphasizes in both the Old and New Testament the hope for the future that God and Christ provide. Dwelling on mistakes or regrets of the past takes our focus away from the comfort that God’s Word offers in earnest.

Though the articles I have presented discuss the impacts of patience and impatience on people personally, Christians must also recognize that practicing patience is yet another great way to glorify God. In Ephesians 4:2 we are told to “be patient, bearing one another in love,” We can love others with patience, obeying God in a beautiful way. I know that one of the most meaningful things a friend or professor can do for me is to be patient during my times of struggle or shortcoming, and I want to give that to others more. Finally, we can be patient with and for God, waiting on Him to return and bring salvation and peace. This reflects the command in James 5:8: “…be patient and stand firm, because the Lord’s coming is near”. As we strive to be devoted to God, we can use what psychological research reveals to us about patience and impatience to be aware of our attitudes toward life, which will then guide us toward the patience that God teaches about in the Bible. Finally, I would like to say that this only the conclusion that I drew from my research, and the articles I found provide a lot more pertinent information that I could not include in this paper. You’ll find my references below, all from PsychINFO database. I recommend checking them out for yourselves, and practicing more patience in your life.

References

Akhtar, S. (2015). Patience. Psychoanalytic Review, 102(1), 93-122. doi:10.1521/prev.2015.102.1.93

Alan, S., & Ertac, S. (2015). Patience, self-control and the demand for commitment: Evidence from a large-scale field experiment. Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization,115, 111-122. doi:10.1016/j.jebo.2014.10.008

Espín, A. M., Exadaktylos, F., Herrmann, B., & Brañas-Garza, P. (2015). Short- and long-run goals in ultimatum bargaining: Impatience predicts spite-based behavior. Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience, 9. doi:10.3389/fnbeh.2015.00214

patience. (2016). In Merriam-Webster.com. Retrieved Oct. 31, 2016, from http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/patience

Schnitker, S. A., & Emmons, R. A. (2007). Patience as a virtue: Religious and psychological perspectives. Research in The Social Scientific Study of Religion, 18, 177-207. doi:10.1163/ej.9789004158511.i-301.69