The Marshmallow Test summary

How do we decide whether or not to give into temptation? Should we eat that chocolate bar, or resist it?

Our self-control depends on two systems that are functioning in our body: one that instantly reacts to our environment, and one that controls our behavior.

We’ve seen that self-control is regulated by two biological systems in our body. You might think that implies our genes determine our self-control, but this is not true.

Like any other skill, self-control is partly genetic, but it can also change quite a bit depending on our environment – and on us.

When the public heard about President Bill Clinton’s affair with Monica Lewinsky, many wondered if he could still be trusted as president. They figured if he lacked self-control and honesty in his personal life, he must lack it in his political life as well.

In fact, our self-control depends on context. If someone can’t control herself sexually, it doesn’t necessarily mean she can’t control herself at work. We choose the situations in which we exercise our self-control.

You might think that the Marshmallow Test was a simple psychological experiment just for children. Actually, the results of the children who participated were shown to correlate strongly with their life as adults.

In follow-up studies, when the children who’d participated in the Marshmallow Test were older, researchers did another assessment. The children who managed to wait longer for their treats were assessed as being more successful later in life.

So, we've seen that teaching children self-control is crucial during their upbringing. Let's look at how exactly this can be done.

Children need to understand that the choices they make have consequences. When we're young, we typically get any self-control strategies we use from our parents. Thus, it's important that parents support their children and be there for them, but also give them a sense of autonomy.

Exercising self-control can be very difficult at times, but the good news is that this is something we can practice.

So, how does one do this? Well, try to focus on the long-term consequences of your behavior, instead of instant gratification.

We’ve seen that parents play a vital role in the development of a child’s self-control skills. But what about kids whose parents fail to do this? What about the other influences in their life?

Aside from parents, teachers have a huge impact on this kind of development.