Impulsivity, inattentiveness, and “time blindness” can all contribute to lateness. Understanding the causes of chronic lateness may help you improve your timeliness. If you have attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), you might have to work a little bit harder at being on time.
In 2001, Conte also discovered that there's also a personality type that's more likely to be late. While highly strung, achievement oriented Type A individuals are more likely to be punctual, Type B individuals, who are more laid-back, are later.
Planning for Wait Time
For most people, running late has more to do with anxiety about where they're going. "There's a fear factor in which people are anxious about going at all or about getting there too early and having nothing to do," Sapadin says.
The punctually-challenged often share personality characteristics such as optimism, low levels of self-control, anxiety, or a penchant for thrill-seeking, experts say. Personality differences could also dictate how we experience the passing of time.
Late people tend to appear less trustworthy and responsible. Late people are sending a signal to those who have made an effort to be on time. This signal says, “You aren't as important as I am.” This may not be a conscious signal but it certainly is received. Let me make it clear, everyone has emergencies.
Punctuality. As the popular saying states first impressions are usually lasting impressions, this is the same for being late for a first date. A clear red flag is your date showing up extremely late for the date without sending a message or calling to indicate that they are having an issue and will be running late.
Many people with ADHD believe that being late and having ADHD are linked. It's not that they don't want to be on time, but their brains are wired differently, making it hard to estimate time and stick to a schedule. If you have ADHD, you may find yourself constantly running late.
In addition to feeling better and healthier, people who are always late tend to have a better outlook on life and are more optimistic.
And the truth is that sometimes it is personal, says Ranson. “When someone is angry with you, being late can be a passive-aggressive response,” she says. “The lateness is intended to frustrate the other person, as a way of inflicting punishment or wrestling back control without acknowledging anger.”
There are several reasons why people are late. They could be disorganized, trying to make a power play, anxious, have poor social skills, or even have underlying medical issues.
“Repeated lateness is usually a symptom of an underlying condition such as ADHD [Attention-Deficit Hyper Activity Disorder] or depression but it can also just be habit …
Not only does consistent tardiness insult others, but it can also bely a lack of certain valuable virtues. It can convey that the late person has a lack of intelligence, a lack of time management skills, and a slippery grasp on their own priorities. It can also betray a lack of will power and empathy.
The rarest personality type is the INFJ personality type, known as 'The Counselor'. INFJ is the rarest personality type across the population, occurring in just 2% of the population.
As it turns out, those people aren't all wrong. There's some good news for those of us who just can't help but be a little late to the party, with research suggesting latecomers are likely to be more relaxed and optimistic than their on-time counterparts, essentially leading to a happier and more successful life.
According to a study published in the Social Indicators Research journal, we're the happiest between the ages of 30-34, and midlife (our 40s and 50s) is not perceived as the least happy period in life.
The most unhappy time of your life is your forties, according to a phenomenon known as the “u-shaped” curve which states that happiness bottoms out around your forties then trends back up as you grow older.
In one large study from the Brookings Institute, for example, scientists found happiness was high for 18- to 21-year-olds and then dropped steadily until about age 40. But past middle age, the pattern began to reverse—gradually climbing back up to its highest point at age 98!
“It's important to remember that ADHD is a medical, physiological disorder,” says ADHD expert and physician Patricia Quinn. Some adults with ADHD say, “I like to stay up late because it's quiet, and I can get a lot done.” In other words, daytime distractibility and disorganization can lead to too-late bedtimes.
The brain's frontal lobes, which are involved in ADHD, continue to mature until we reach age 35. In practical terms, this means that people with ADHD can expect some lessening of their symptoms over time. Many will not match the emotional maturity of a 21-year-old until their late 30's.
Differences in emotions in people with ADHD can lead to 'shutdowns', where someone is so overwhelmed with emotions that they space out, may find it hard to speak or move and may struggle to articulate what they are feeling until they can process their emotions.
However most narcissists are notorious for being late. And keeping people waiting for hours on end. Lateness ties in with many of the narcissists foibles.
Our research shows that out of 302 responses, 37% of those stated that they would wait up to 5 minutes for a late guest. 48% of our responses said that up to 10 minutes would be a good time limit to bear in mind when waiting and 13% said they would wait up to 15 minutes.
Punctuality is more important at the beginning of a relationship when partners do not know each other so well and being late might be regarded as profound disrespect. When the lovers know each other well, such an incorrect interpretation (if it is indeed incorrect) is less likely to prevail.