Do good things come to those who wait?

It’s an iconic test of willpower: sit a child down in front of a marshmallow, tell the child that he/she can either have the marshmallow in front of them now or they can have two— if they wait. Then leave the room and watch what the child does.

Some children will sit patiently for the adult to return so they can have their reward.  Others will try to wait but will ultimately succumb to eating the delicious treat. What is the difference between the two sets of children?

In the early 1960s, Walter Mischel conducted a series of these tests, popularly known as the “Marshmallow Tests”, at the Bing Nursery School of Stanford University to study temptation and self-control. There were other variations of the test, in which children were offered pretzel sticks, mints, or coloured poker chips. The tests were also replicated in different settings, including South Bronx, where children experience high amounts of stress and poverty and in a residential treatment program for young people at high risk for aggression/externalisation and depression/withdrawal. Joachim de Posada, co-author of the book, Don’t Eat the Marshmallow… Yet!, also tried the test in Colombia. The results were consistent. Some children could wait, others could not.

Those children who were able to push the treat farther away from them, look away from it, or otherwise distract themselves were more successful at waiting. This is important because it points to one reason why self-control can be so difficult- our human brains have evolved to operate both a primitive, emotional response system and a regulatory, rational response system. The limbic system immediately responds with emotion, while the executive system, centered in the prefrontal cortex, is reflective and allows us to control our attention and think about the future.  Self-control is really a battle between these two areas of the brain.

The key, therefore, is to temper what Mischel calls the ‘hot system’ that is emotional and bring the ‘cool system’ that is rational to the lead. Distraction is very useful in tempering the hot system. People can also use “if-then” plans. For example, children may learn that ‘if they have homework, then they must turn off their mobile devices.’  Adults may promise that ‘if they feel road rage boiling up, then they must pull over and count to ten.’

This requires an understanding of what sets us off.  Some children may exhibit self-control in class but not at recess. Some adults may feel more stress when they are socially excluded than when they are pressed for time. Self-control is highly contextual. Once the hotspots are identified, then coping skills like distraction, if/then plans, and minimising stress can be deployed.

Years later, Mischel and his team followed up with the children from the original Marshmallow Tests and discovered that those who could wait for the second treat as children also achieved higher SAT scores in high school, were less likely to use drugs, and had a lower body mass index (BMI) 30 years after their initial Marshmallow Test.  Good things do come to those who wait.

Published in collaboration with The World Bank

Author: Roxanne Bauer is a consultant to the World Bank’s External and Corporate Relations, Operational Communications department (ECROC). She has several years of experience in research, international development, and communications outreach.

Image: Children sit during a morning assembly at a school in the Ralegan Siddhi village, located in the Ahmednagar district about 250km (155 miles) south east of Mumbai June 17, 2011. REUTERS/Danish Siddiqui.