Short-Termism
Prioritizing immediate results at the expense of long-term health and sustainability. Common in business, politics, and personal decision-making alike.
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Origin
The term entered British business journalism in the early 1980s, with the OED's earliest print citation for "short-termist" appearing in the Daily Telegraph in 1986. Its academic framing was laid by M. P. Narayanan's 1985 paper in the Journal of Finance on "managerial myopia." The underlying dynamic had been anticipated by John Maynard Keynes in his 1936 "beauty contest" metaphor for stock market behaviour in The General Theory, describing investors focused on what others will think tomorrow rather than fundamental long-term value.
Updated February 22, 2026