The Power of Delayed Gratification

During the 1960’s and 1970’s, Stanford psychologist, Walter Mischel, performed a series of experiments in which young kids were placed in a room with a single marshmallow on a table to test their willpower. Before leaving a child alone with the marshmallow, the researchers carefully explained to each child that he or she would be rewarded with an additional marshmallow if they could avoid eating the one originally given to them until the researcher returned. If they could wait about 15 minutes without giving in, the child would be able to enjoy two marshmallows instead of the single treat originally received.

Some of the kids ate the snack right away. Most of them stared at it for a while or even tried looking away and covering their eyes, seeking to reduce the temptation, before eventually giving in. But a handful of the students were able to hold out until the experimenters returned to reward them with the second marshmallow.

Mischel and his colleagues then followed these kids for many years after the initial marshmallow test. What they found out was quite remarkable. As a group, the children who were able to delay gratification to receive a doubled prize ended up finding greater success in many other areas of life far more meaningful than puffed balls of sugar. On average, this group received better grades in school, had higher SAT scores, achieved higher education, had healthier relationships, enjoyed more successful careers, built greater wealth and even displayed better overall health including lower body mass indexes.

Other studies have similarly shown that the ability to delay gratification in the present is a powerful predictor of positive outcomes in the future. Those who can pay the price now through pain and sacrifice have a tendency to enjoy larger, long-term rewards. Sometimes it’s the ability to forgo a negative choice to select a less pleasurable, but more beneficial option – choosing the side of broccoli rather than French fries. However, it is also the foresight of bypassing a “good” choice for an even better one down the road – passing over a dime to pick up a dollar.

Either way, having the mindset to delay gratification is a precious gift. It is a gift, however, that must be exercised to maintain. Furthermore, I believe it’s a mindset that can be learned and trained. Even if you weren’t “given” that gift, it’s certainly something that can be created over time. So, what “marshmallows” do you need to give up today to put you in a place for even greater rewards in the future?

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