Posted by Elizabeth Lee on Jan 19, 2015
3 Lessons From The Marshmallow Test
The ability to delay gratification is critical for a successful life. In The Marshmallow Test: Mastering Self-Control by Walter Mischel, you will learn how self-control can be learned, practiced, mastered and applied to everyday life. Filled with profound implications for the choices you make in self-care, education, parenting and other areas of your life, this bestselling book will change the way you think about who you are and what you are capable of.
In "What the Marshmallow Test Really Teaches About Self Control" by The Atlantic, reporter Jacoba Urist explains:
"It began in the early 1960s at Stanford University’s Bing Nursery School, where Mischel and his graduate students gave children the choice between one reward (like a marshmallow, pretzel, or mint) they could eat immediately, and a larger reward (two marshmallows) for which they would have to wait alone, for up to 20 minutes. Years later, Mischel and his team followed up with the Bing preschoolers and found that children who had waited for the second marshmallow generally fared better in life."
The Marshmallow Test has implications far beyond predicting how children will grow in the future. Its lessons on self-control, goal setting and persevering through challenges are valuable in both the business world and in your personal life.
These are the 3 key takeaways from The Marshmallow Test:
1. Create and keep an ultimate goal in mind
2. Inhibit interfering responses that direct you away from your goal
3. Use your attention in a way that lets you reach your goal
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