How good are you at choosing the healthy salad over the slice of pizza? Or waiting until a sale before buying that new flat screen tv? The ability to delay gratification has more implications than you might think.
A study performed by Stanford University professor Walter Mischel showed a distinct difference later in life for children who tested high in the ability to delay gratification. In the 1960’s, Dr. Mischel and his team gave 600 four year-olds a marshmallow and told them to wait 15 minutes for the experimenter to return before eating it and they would receive a second one. Roughly two-thirds of them couldn't wait before eating their marshmallow. The other one-third were shown to have distinct advantages as they got older. These advantages included:
- Better grades and SAT scores
- Higher levels of self esteem
- Less addictive behaviors or drug problems
- A lower divorce rate
- Higher levels of professional and financial success
- Healthier body weight ratios
So, delay that impulse to click away and take a few minutes to check out this informative and entertaining 7 minute talk by Joachim de Posada, who in 2009 replicated this same study in Columbia.
Mark is a mental health professional who has worked in the EAP field since 2004. During this time, he has provided telephonic crisis counseling, workplace consultations regarding behavioral risk issues, trainings on various work-life topics, and account management services.