The Standford Marshmallow Experiment
I have been so intrigued by this lately. I'm a teacher and I discovered this through a TED Talk I believe. The marshmallow experiment puts a young child in a room. The child is given a marshmallow and told that if he waits and does not eat the one he has now he will be given another one later. The child is watched or video taped and you can see the struggle as he or she wants to eat the marshmallow.
I find I struggle with this in various aspects of life. I know if I wait on somethings I will get better results, but I want what I want now. This could be applied to financial decisions, diet, and even dating.
I always tell myself when I know I'm in one of these situations, "Don't fail the marshmallow test." I still do sometimes, because even at 40 it is still difficult.
How do you pass the marshmallow test?
I have no patience. I want a marshmallow NOW, lol
Me too, me too!
It actually depends if I'm really really hungry and I don't care what's gonna happen next. Lol Just kidding. Nice post!
I followed you. I liked that response :)
Thanks, actually that is a good point. Sometimes you are really really hungry!
HODL
Definitely can be applied to that!
If I think I'm putting myself in a position to fail the marshmallow test...by getting impatient or making justifications--> I take the marshmallows out of the equation.
I don't focus on them.
I focus on something else all together - even if the marshmallows are sitting right in front of me. Even if the whole room is full of hundreds of marshmallows all piled on top of me - I'd picture them as fluffy clouds on a desert island and try to place myself back in time on my favorite vacation.
Turn the sugary, marshmallow smell into the aroma of the ocean in your mind.
Then, after you have yourself into a happier state of mind... (sans marshmallow.)
Come face to face with the marshmallow and take a hard look at it.
If you want it - eat it and LOVE it, knowing one marshmallow is delicious and perfect for you in this moment.
If you choose to hold out and wait for the second marshmallow...hold out knowing that waiting is the perfect thing for you to do in this moment and two marshmallows are well worth a nice, happy little delay.
I know this sounds a little crazy, but I have found it to be the secret to all those "hot topics" in my life that seem to suck me into making a decision or taking action.
If I (mentally) remove myself from the temptation/pain/argument/food, etc. and get my mind into a happier state (by listening to music, going for a walk, or just playing some videos in my imagination of some wonderful times in my life that make me feel good).
I can then return to the decision about the "marshmallow" and feel good about -eating it or not eating it - depending on my mental clarity and emotional happiness I have as I return my focus back to the marshmallow.
Oh how I love to tweak my thinking!!
A fantastic post @legosnjoysticks, I just love conversations like this!!
Thanks for the thoughtful reply.
I think the hardest part is thinking about that future reward. If it is something that is days or months away it is so hard to rationalize sometimes. An argument can be made that we are not guaranteed tomorrow.
At the same time if waiting provides a marshmallow that can help you live a better life it might be worth waiting.
A common marshmallow involves no risk. If I eat it the only loss I have is the satisfaction I would get from the second. If we are talking about something that provides risk, that's when the choices become so much more complex and meaningful.
Good topic! I found the experiment interesting myself :)
Thanks!
You're welcome! :)
I appreciate the angle of depth and simplicity of action you've just made readily available to anyone willing to stare inside themselves.
May we all find the integrity to hold ourselves to our absolute highest standard!