How patience can help you join ranks of high earners

IF you aim to earn big money, work on your willpower.

Those with large salaries are better at waiting for what they want, a study has found.

Researchers from Temple University in Philadelphia studied more than 2,500 people, testing their willpower by offering them a small sum of money immediately versus a larger sum if they waited from between one day and a year.

The results show people who put off a reward are more likely to earn good money. Delaying gratification came fourth after education, occupation and location for determining how much someone would be paid.

Dr William Hampton, who led the study published in the journal Frontiers in Psychology, said: ‘If you want your child to grow up to earn a good salary, consider instilling in them the importance of passing on smaller, immediate rewards in favour of larger ones they have to wait for.’