I expect a contributing factor to this is natural inference. Delayed gratification is just fine for certain windows and in certain domains. But continuous delay

I expect a contributing factor to this is natural inference. Delayed gratification is just fine for certain windows and in certain domains. But continuous delay (or non-gratifying outcomes) are surefire ends to update priors. Anecdotally, I'm very much in that position. I've delayed and subsequently mistimed my whole life and let's just say my expectations are totally unmet and I'm quickly unraveling into a hedonist plus flagellant. I'd expect a decay of delayed gratification in aggregate. And this will vary from individual to individual dependant on their expectations/(negative realizations - positive realizations) or similar, and negative realizations are supposedly weighted higher than positive by a factor of 3-5. This exacerbates the rapidity of decay. I'd posit, then, that delayed gratification can predict within a window; that window may be a "critical window" which leads to enhanced success. Failing to obtain that success then predicts regular decrements to delayed gratification metrics. And delayed gratification isn't beneficial in all scenarios anyways. Sometimes the payoff is in immediate and remorseless action.