Resisting temptation

Ever heard of the Marshmallow test?Â Walter Mischel tested 4 year olds, and then tracked them for 20 years to correlate the test results with their performance.

The test was very simple - he took the child into a room that had a marshmallow on a plate. He then told the child â€œYou can have this marshmallow now, but if you wait until I come back, you can have two marshmallows.â€ Then he left, and returned after 20 minutes

Hidden cameras monitored each child. Some gave in right away, some gave in later. But there were some who didn’t give in. They sang songs, closed their eyes, or tried other ways to keep themselves from eating until he returned.

According to the research, those who resisted temptation showed greater success in later schooling and careers than those who gave in.

It does seem intuitive - better control leading to better results. If you don’t have it, you can train yourself to resist. Agreed, it’s easier to start from childhood, than to break habits after years. It takes much more time and effort when you’re older. But it can be done.

Written by 2cworth on May 10th, 2006 with 1 comment.
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