The Marshmallow Study, conducted in the 1960’s by Stanford University psychology researcher Michael Mischel, demonstrated how important self-discipline is to lifelong success. He started his longitudinal study by offering a group of 4-year-olds one marshmallow, but told them that if they could wait for him to return after running an errand, they could have two marshmallows. The “errand” took about fifteen to twenty minutes. The theory was that those children who could wait would demonstrate that they had the ability to delay gratification and control impulse.
How important is your child’s ability to delay immediate gratification? (Very important.)
Is self-discipline a predictor of a child’s success later in life? (Yes.)
Can a child who does not know how to delay immediate gratification be taught this skill? (Absolutely.)
DON’T! The secret of self-control.
by Jonah Lehrer
MAY 18, 2009
http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2009/05/18/090518fa_fact_lehrer?printable=true
In this short talk from TED U, Joachim de Posada shares a landmark experiment on delayed gratification -- and how it can predict future success. With priceless video of kids trying their hardest not to eat the marshmallow.
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