Ever notice how some people attack their pizza crust first, saving the cheesy goodness for last?
I used to think it was just a quirky eating habit until I stumbled across fascinating research linking this behavior to something much bigger: The psychology of delayed gratification and its surprising connection to financial success.
After interviewing over 200 people for various articles, I’ve become somewhat obsessed with the small behaviors that reveal larger patterns.
This crust-first phenomenon? It turns out it’s a window into how our brains handle rewards, patience, and long-term thinking.
The research is compelling as psychologists have found that people who consistently delay immediate pleasures for better rewards later show distinct traits that correlate with financial stability and success.
These are deeply ingrained patterns that shape how we approach everything from saving money to building careers.
1) They naturally think in terms of future value
Remember the famous marshmallow experiment? Kids who waited for two marshmallows instead of eating one immediately showed better life outcomes decades later.
The crust-first eaters demonstrate this same principle at every meal as these people automatically calculate future value versus immediate reward.
While others dive straight into the best part, they’re unconsciously training themselves to tolerate temporary discomfort for enhanced satisfaction later.
I noticed this pattern during interviews with startup founders who bootstrapped their companies.
One founder told me she’d been eating sandwiches crust-first since childhood.
“My mom thought I was weird,” she laughed, “but I just liked knowing the best part was coming.”
That same mentality helped her live on ramen for two years while building her business instead of taking a comfortable corporate job.
This trait translates directly to financial decisions.
These individuals are more likely to contribute to retirement accounts, build emergency funds, and resist impulse purchases.
They see money not for what it can buy today, but for what it could become tomorrow.
2) They have stronger impulse control mechanisms
Have you ever wondered why some people can walk past a sale without flinching while others can’t resist? The answer might lie in how they eat their food.
Neuroscience research reveals that people who regularly practice small acts of self-control develop stronger prefrontal cortex activation.
This is the brain’s CEO, responsible for executive decisions and overriding impulses.
Every time someone chooses to eat the less appealing part first, they’re essentially doing bicep curls for their willpower.
During my research into organizational behavior, I discovered that employees who demonstrated this trait were significantly less likely to engage in problematic workplace behaviors like expense account abuse or cutting corners on projects.
They had trained themselves to resist the easy path.
The financial implications are profound.
These individuals typically carry less credit card debt, avoid payday loans, and make more rational investment decisions even during market volatility.
3) They find satisfaction in the process, not just outcomes
Here’s something unexpected: Crust-first eaters often report enjoying their meals more overall.
It sounds counterintuitive, but psychological research on anticipation explains why.
The anticipation of reward activates our brain’s pleasure centers almost as much as the reward itself.
By deliberately creating a waiting period, these individuals extend their enjoyment beyond the actual eating experience.
They’re essentially hacking their own neurochemistry for maximum satisfaction.
This mindset shift is crucial for financial success.
While others feel deprived when saving money, these individuals find satisfaction in watching their accounts grow.
They enjoy the process of building wealth.
A middle manager I interviewed described tracking her debt payoff with the same enthusiasm others reserve for vacation planning.
“Each payment felt like progress,” she explained, “I was actively enjoying getting to the point of being debt-free.”
4) They excel at sequential planning
Eating crust first requires planning.
You need to mentally map out your eating strategy before taking the first bite.
This might seem trivial, but it reflects a sophisticated cognitive process.
People who regularly engage in sequential planning develop stronger working memory and strategic thinking abilities.
They anticipate and prepare for these situations.
In financial terms, these are the people who have five-year plans that they actually follow.
They understand that wealth building is a sequence of deliberate steps, not a series of lucky breaks.
They’re more likely to pursue education that leads to higher income, even if it means temporary sacrifice.
The correlation with career success is particularly striking as sequential planners are more likely to reach senior positions because they can envision and execute long-term career strategies while others job-hop based on immediate salary increases.
5) They have lower discount rates for future rewards
In behavioral economics, “discount rate” refers to how much less we value future rewards compared to immediate ones.
Most people would rather have $100 today than $110 next month, but crust-first eaters consistently show lower discount rates.
This trait is perhaps the strongest predictor of financial success.
People with lower discount rates are willing to invest in education, start businesses, and make other decisions that trade present comfort for future gain.
They fundamentally value future rewards more highly than their peers.
During a particularly stressful period, I started baking as a way to unwind.
The precision required and inability to multitask forced me to slow down.
I noticed something interesting: the people who could wait for bread to properly rise, resisting the urge to rush the process, were invariably the same ones making smart long-term financial decisions.
6) They derive confidence from self-discipline
Perhaps most importantly, crust-first eaters build confidence through repeated acts of self-discipline.
Each small victory reinforces their belief in their ability to control outcomes.
This self-efficacy, as psychologists call it, is crucial for financial success.
People who believe they can influence their financial future are more likely to try.
They negotiate salaries, start side businesses, and take calculated risks because they trust their ability to follow through.
The compound effect is remarkable.
Each act of delayed gratification builds confidence, which leads to bigger challenges, which builds more confidence.
It’s a virtuous cycle that started with something as simple as eating habits.
Final thoughts
The next time you see someone eating their crust first, you might be watching someone with a finely tuned ability to delay gratification.
These are people who have unconsciously trained themselves for financial success through thousands of small decisions.
The good news? These traits can be developed.
Start small: Save the best bite for last, or wait an extra day before making that online purchase.
Each small act of delayed gratification strengthens the mental muscles that lead to long-term financial success.
Sometimes, the biggest insights come from the smallest observations.
Who knew that how we eat our pizza could reveal so much about how we handle money?