Introverts v extroverts. Cat people or dog people. Blairs and Serenas. These divided identities are all well and good, but when it comes down to it, there are really only two types of people in this world: those who obediently open each door of their advent calendar on its assigned day and those who have demolished the lot by the first week of December (if not earlier). 

You could also describe these distinct groups as rule-breakers and rule-followers, or perhaps those who are capable of delaying gratification and those who are not. It’s easy for the dutiful daily chocolate eaters to look down on those unable to resist one mass consumption session – have you no willpower, they ask? 

But are they right to judge? Does falling into the ‘open all the doors immediately’ camp suggest you’re some free-of-discipline heathen? Should you feel guilt or shame for being unable to resist opening up every single compartment, regardless of whether your advent calendar is filled with sweet treats or fancy beauty buys? In short, the big question is this: what does our advent calendar behaviour reveal about us?

It turns out, quite a lot. Your advent calendar attitudes go deep. 

“Individual differences in how people approach advent calendars can be attributed to a combination of cognitive, behavioural and psychosocial factors,” Dr Ritz Birah, a consultant counselling psychologist, tells Stylist. “Early childhood experiences, personality traits and learned behaviours play a role in shaping these tendencies. It could reflect a balance between adherence to structure and the impulse for immediate gratification.

“Skipping ahead in an advent calendar might suggest a desire for instant pleasure, potentially linked to an unconscious need for satisfaction or a lack of impulse control. It could be driven by a focus on the immediate pleasure of consuming the chocolates, overlooking the value of delayed gratification. It might indicate a response to the rewarding stimuli without considering future consequences. I would be exploring a person’s cognitive processes, such as how they weigh immediate satisfaction against future enjoyment, as it would give them insights into their decision-making styles.”

So, yes, if you always find yourself tearing through your advent calendar ahead of schedule, it probably does suggest you struggle with impulse control. You’re more about experiencing pleasure now rather than saving it for later. The reasons for this can be complex: perhaps you grew up in a family where if you tried to save something for later, your sibling scarfed it down before you could get to it. Perhaps you’ve had experiences that have taught you to live in the moment rather than thinking much about the future. 

Is that a bad thing? Not necessarily, although some psychologists believe that struggling to delay gratification might be linked to negative outcomes down the line. 

“Some people who have the strength to restrain themselves are more able to be disciplined and not give in to temptation,” notes psychologist Jan P de Jonge. “A piece of psychological research, (what came to be known as) the ‘Marshmallow Test’, became famous because it claimed to predict life outcomes for children’s performance on that test. A child’s ability to exercise control and refuse to eat the marshmallows was said to predict how they would fare in adulthood. More recent research suggests that children develop over their entire childhood and that complex, adult-like, self-regulatory processes develop through adolescence and even into early adulthood. 

“Many researchers who study differences in people, or the psychology of personality differences, agree that we differ in the extent to which we are conscientious, rule-following and impulsive. Being able to self-regulate is often seen as being closely related (and positively so) with one’s level of income, savings behaviour, financial security, occupational prestige, lack of substance use, school readiness, not smoking and avoidance of a criminal record.”

The act of eating all your advent calendar in one go is not in and of itself a ‘bad’ thing. But it could be indicative of a likelihood to do other potentially not great things. 

De Jonge tells us: “Clearly, those of us who are unable to be disciplined and forgo the instant delight of devouring all of the remaining chocolatey advent now are probably less self-disciplined and more prone to hedonistic behaviour and the pursuit of pleasure.” Hedonistic behaviour includes substance abuse, risky decision-making, gambling – that sort of thing. 

But let’s be real: if your only act of hedonism is eating some chocolates ahead of schedule… you’re doing great. Finding it tricky to pace out your festive treats might be linked to an increased propensity for damaging acts, but that doesn’t mean you’re doomed for that behaviour. 

There are, however, some benefits to sticking to your advent calendar’s prescribed schedule. “Adhering to the tradition of opening each advent calendar day might provide a sense of routine and anticipation,” Birah explains. “The ritualistic aspect can tap into psychological mechanisms related to pleasure, nostalgia and the satisfaction of delayed gratification.” In basic terms: as hard as it might be to believe in the moment, you might experience more enjoyment by not scoffing that chocolate all in one go and instead doing it day by day. You might also feel an extra glow of satisfaction in setting yourself a goal (to only open one advent calendar door a day) and actually accomplishing it.

It’s important, though, not to beat yourself up too harshly if you don’t manage to hold off on the final window (which is often bigger than the others, adding to the temptation) until Christmas. After all; it’s only chocolate or cheese, or skincare or whatever other advent calendar treat you’ve chosen. 

“Not all transgressions are as serious as one another,” De Jonge says. “The question is how often we fail to control our urges to skip ahead and do things like gobbling up the entire advent calendar on day one or two. Win the big battles, perhaps. There’s life’s challenges, temptations and adventures after the Christmas advent calendar’s been and gone. Many gurus would say: focus your attention on the former rather than the latter. And still: happy Christmas!”

Images: Getty