The Marshmallow Test

I have to confess, I only learned about this a few weeks ago. Apparently,sometime in the 1960s, a psychological study was started at Stanford University, which examined children's willingness and ability to delay gratification. A child, about 4 years old, is seated at a table with a giant marshmallow on a plate. The researcher tells the child, "You can eat this marshmallow now, or you can wait 10 minutes. If I come back, and the marshmallow is still there, I'll give you another marshmallow and you'll have TWO!"

The researcher leaves and the resulting agony/internal conflict is videotaped (and, eventually, placed up on YouTube).



As I watched this, I was fascinated. But, as I tend to do -- I started to think about the larger perspective. How interesting it is to watch these children agonize over something as simple (to us adults) as whether to eat the marshmallow. The stress and pressure they put on themselves is reminiscent of life-altering decisions adults have to make. And, you can't help but be envious of the children -- how great it would be, again, to have the most difficult decision in your life be simply holding out for 10 minutes, so you can double your marshmallow bounty.


Credit where credit is due -- I read about this for the first time on Bill Simmons' new Grantland website. His discussion on the phenomenon is far more detailed (and humorous) than mine.

What do YOU think about when you see this (especially if it's the first time you've seen it....)?