We are all faced with more temptations than ever before. Don’t want to do an assignment? Having a tough time focusing on what’s important now? Then log onto Facebook, check your email or watch some YouTube videos. Great way to escape they say!
Yet research scholars claim that the ability to persevere with a task in the face of temptations is our number one success strategy. And we know this because of the trusty marshmallow.
The Stanford marshmallow experiment was a series of studies on delayed gratification done back in the sixties. Psychologist, Walter Michael then a professor at Stanford University conducted the famous marshmallow experiment. In these studies, he put 4 year old children in a room by themselves, placed a marshmallow in front of them and gave them a simple choice – “You can have the marshmallow now or you can wait 15 minutes and get 2 marshmallows.”
He then left the room and observed the child’s behavior. He witnessed that at least 2 out of 3 of the children ate the marshmallows. Now some ate them immediately while others attempted to restrain themselves for as long as they could before relinquishing to the temptation of the marshmallow.
Walter Michael then found these children 10 years later, and surveyed them to see how they were doing.
Interestingly, the children who had resisted eating the marshmallow had better school grades and social success than the children who ate the marshmallow straight away. They could also manage their stress levels more effectively and were less likely to have problems with their weight.
So why were the students who had resisted eating the marshmallow better off?
The simple reason being is that they had better self-control they possessed the unique ability at a young age to delay gratification. This in itself could be the secret to their later success.
This is an interesting little book that I’m sure you’ll enjoy reading. As you read it you may even begin to look back on where you maybe ate a marshmallow or two instead of delaying for larger rewards.
Joachim de Posada the author of this book was a Motivational speaker that I had the pleasure of knowing. He wrote two additional best-selling books besides this one; Don’t Gobble the Marshmallow Ever and Keep your Eye on the Marshmallow. Joachim de Posada died on Saturday, June 11, 2015 at age 68.
Joachim de Posada shares this landmark experiment on delayed gratification — and how it can predict future success with a priceless video of kids trying their hardest not to eat the marshmallow. Take a moment and enjoy it as I guarantee you will get a few laughs.