It’s official: guilty pleasures are good for you

The 21st century is complicated. If we're not on a guilt trip about our consuming passion for instant gratification, we're worrying about the hours we spend in the office to feed the demands of a work-obsessed culture. Yet in all the confusion about hedonism versus Puritanism, one thing used to be clear. Hedonists get their kicks in haste, but repent at leisure (a moment on the lips, a lifetime on the hips). Puritans, meanwhile, may lose out a little on day-to-day fun, but by working hard, saving for retirement and being sensible, they can look forward to a tranquil old age.

New research from Columbia University, however, seems to overturn this folk wisdom. Too much self-restraint, according to 'regretologist' Ran Kivetz, leads to a condition called psychological hyperopia, or 'excessive farsightedness'. Hedonists suffer immediate guilt after giving in to

Embrace your inner hedonist and you’ll have no regrets, says helen russell

excess, but later they feel happy about having indulged. Contrariwise, Puritans who choose work over play find short-term satisfaction, but as the years go by regret about missing out on life's pleasures intensifies.

Kivetz says he is not talking about 'catastrophic self-control failures, such as driving recklessly if you're late.' The dilemmas he analysed were ones where the 'right' answer was not always clear - like going on holiday versus saving money.

Peter Whybrow, of the Institute of Neuroscience and Human Behavior at UCLA, is skeptical. The author of American Mania: When More Is Not Enough argues that our 'natural inclination of the individual is to the hedonistic.' Maybe so, but Kivetz argues that if we allow ourselves the occasional self-indulgence without guilt, we can avert those blowout binges and enjoy a regret-free middle age. So don't be a virtue victim. Carpe diem - and eat cake.