Temporal discounting refers to the psychological phenomena that future outcomes are subjectively less significant than immediate outcomes.

This tendency would imply that the extinction of banded leaf monkeys are perceived by humans as less severe when consequences are delayed. As with other environmental risks, extinction of banded leaf monkeys tend to involve a gradual, slow-onset change that is less dramatic. Similarly, depletion of natural resources may have very severe consequences, but these effects will take decades to develop fully. Conversely, natural disasters such as floods have an apparent effect that is immediate. Thus, natural disasters tend to attract more attention than wildlife extinction.

Understanding this principal can allow conservationists or activists to use various techniques such as temporal framing to make risks appear more proximal and concrete. Thus, increase the attention of individuals.