Matthias Sutter is Professor and Chairholder of "Economics: Design and Behavior" at the Faculty of Management, Economics and Social Sciences. On 12 January, the daily newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung published his guest article in the field of educational research. This article is about the ability to be patient, which is an extremely significant factor for later success and educational career.

In the eighties, a study was conducted by consulting American youths regarding the characteristic of their patience and observing them during the school and educational career. This and other surveys, like those implemented by Walter Mischel, have shown that impatient people suffer from worse health and have a lower educational level in adulthood. The level of patience of a person already manifests in the childhood and can be influenced with assistance from interventions.

Prof. Sutter indicates that on the basis of these results it would be sustainable to encourage future-oriented behaviour especially in the education sector and suggests a greater cooperation between researchers and politicians holding responsibility for education.

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