Delayed Gratification & The Marshmallow Experiment
Delayed Gratification & The Marshmallow Experiment are the most famous and engrossing interrelated concepts in the world of psychological experiments.
What is Delayed Gratification
Delayed gratification means resisting the temptation of an immediate reward, in anticipation that there will be a greater reward later. Delayed gratification allows you to do things like forgo large purchases to save for a vacation, skip dessert to lose weight or take a job you don’t love but that will help your career later on.
Stanford marshmallow experiment
To understand the concept of Delayed Gratification better, first let’s go through the delights of Stanford’s one of the most popular experiment THE MARSHMALLOW EXPIREMENT (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stanford_marshmallow_experiment).
In the 1960s, a Stanford professor named Walter Mischel began conducting a series of important psychological studies.
The experiment began by bringing each child into a private room, sitting them down in a chair, and placing a marshmallow on the table in front of them.
At this point, the researcher offered a deal to the child.
The researcher told the child that he was going to leave the room and that if the child did not eat the marshmallow while he was away, then they would be rewarded with a second marshmallow. However, if the child decided to eat the first one before the researcher came back, then they would not get a second marshmallow.
So the choice was simple: one treat right now or two treats later.
The researcher left the room for 15 minutes.
As you can imagine, the footage of the children waiting alone in the room was rather entertaining. Some kids jumped up and ate the first marshmallow as soon as the researcher closed the door. Others wiggled and bounced and scooted in their chairs as they tried to restrain themselves, but eventually gave in to temptation a few minutes later. And finally, a few of the children did manage to wait the entire time.
Published in 1972, this popular study became known as The Marshmallow Experiment, but it wasn’t the treat that made it famous. The interesting part came years later.
As the years rolled on and the children grew up, the researchers conducted follow up studies and tracked each child’s progress in a number of areas. What they found was surprising.
The children who were willing to delay gratification and waited to receive the second marshmallow ended up having higher SAT scores, lower levels of substance abuse, lower likelihood of obesity, better responses to stress, better social skills as reported by their parents, and generally better scores in a range of other life measures.
The researchers followed each child for more than 40 years and over and over again, the group who waited patiently for the second marshmallow succeed in whatever capacity they were measuring. In other words, this series of experiments proved that the ability to delay gratification was critical for success in life!
How to get this life skill ?
Delayed Gratification & The Marshmallow Experiment does not employ that having a self control is an inborn trait that you either have or you don’t. The good news is we can develop this life skill of delayed gratification and train our mind to wait for better. Some strategies that might help you improve your ability to delay gratification include:
1. Set Realistic Deadlines : Do not be prone to set either unrealistic deadlines or benchmarks. For example, a girl trying to lose weight will set herself up for failure if she makes a completely unrealistic goal of losing 10 pounds per week. When she fails to lose those first 8 pounds, she might then give up and give in to temptation. A more realistic goal of one pound per week would allow her to see the real results of his efforts.
2. Be Fully Present : Put your phone Hi-tech phone down , resisting the instant gratification of social media or texting . Be fully present with that cup of coffee you are having now!!
3. Resist the comfort : Resist the comfort, certainty and instant gratification you get from an easy workout. Instead remind yourself of later rewards that comes in shape of physical fitness.
4. Have Some Self-control : Instead of giving in to the instant gratification of eating that piece of cake, delay your gratification and reap the reward of vitality and energy later. Delay the gratification of purchasing something you don’t absolutely need, and earn the long-term reward of having more savings.
5. Remind Yourself OF Your Goals : What is delayed gratification for if not the ability to reach your biggest goals and dreams?. Keep a picture of your goal on your phone – you can even set it as your wallpaper – to remind yourself what you’re working towards. It will make delayed gratification that much easier.
Final Takeaways
Your Daily Habits Can Make or Break Your Life! Mastering the ability to delay gratification is difficult, but you can do it. Don’t forget that impulse for instant gratification is all in your head. The ability to delay gratification reveals emotional intelligence, and this can take you a long way in life!!
Read more : Quotes on Success ( https://thebrightdelights.com/quotes-on-success/ )
Books that help :
- Waiting is Not Forever (https://amzn.to/3Jdyhqf)
- Delayed Gratification(https://amzn.to/3suUQkE)
- Autism: Instant and Delayed Gratification(https://amzn.to/3yUnBrO)
- Self-Discipline: Develop unshakeable Self-Control(https://amzn.to/3FmyWne)
- Achieve Breakthrough Using Delayed Gratification(https://amzn.to/3qnFKdZ)