How to Resist Temptation: Insights from the Marshmallow Test

In the marshmallow test (an experiment where kindergarteners are told not to eat a marshmallow to see if they can resist),
many children ate the marshmallow when relying solely on willpower,
but the children were able to resist significantly by using 'distraction' and 'reappraisal' techniques.

*Reference

https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.2658056

1. Distraction
Singing songs, fidgeting with fingers or nails, pinching one's nose, etc.

2. Reappraisal
Imagining the marshmallow as something fuzzy and unappetizing.

It is impressive that children can come up with these self-control strategies on their own, but...

These are also highly effective self-control strategies for adults, so I encourage you to try them, but
to make them a habit,
above all, it is important not to place yourself in an environment where you have to resist temptation in the first place.

[The Marshmallow Test]

The marshmallow test is a rare study in psychology that received significant media attention...

It was conducted on preschool children (4 years old) attending the Bing Nursery School at Stanford University.

They were given a plate with one small marshmallow and told, 'If you wait 15 minutes without eating it, you will receive another marshmallow,'
and then the researcher left the room.

As a result,
75% of the children could not overcome the temptation and ate the marshmallow.

This was also tested with other temptations, such as pretzels and animal-shaped crackers, but the results were similar in all cases, with the children's average waiting time being about 9 minutes.

*Reference 2

https://psycnet.apa.org/doiLanding?doi=10.1037%2Fh0029815

In other words, most children could not resist the temptation right in front of them, even at the cost of giving up the [reward] of receiving another one.

*Reference 3

https://psycnet.apa.org/record/1991-06927-001

One of the reasons this study garnered media attention was the persistence involved in tracking these four-year-old children until they reached adulthood.

The follow-up study revealed that
children who were able to resist temptation at age four "had better academic performance in school and higher SAT scores. Furthermore, their weight as adults was lower compared to children who gave in to temptation, and their BMI was also lower."

Reference 4

Based on these follow-up results,
[Delayed gratification] (postponing the satisfaction of a reward) is a crucial point in social lifeand is inversely related to impulsivity in general.

In fact,
it is said that about 30 years ago, it became a trend for education-conscious parents to have their children take the marshmallow test.

However, in any era, many media outlets tend to engage in "cherry-picked reporting."

The marshmallow test also focuses on the importance of [situation],
comparing and tracking patterns in situations where the marshmallow in front of them is visible versus invisible.

The results showed that
when the marshmallow was hidden, they were able to wait for 10 minutes.
However, when the marshmallow was visible, they could only wait for 6 minutes.


In the follow-up study,
there was no difference in adult life outcomes (SAT, weight, BMI) between children who could wait longer when the marshmallow was hidden and those who ate it quickly when it was visible.



In other words,
rather than using the marshmallow test to see if your child has a "personality for success (self-control)," it is more important to control the situation.

[Manipulate the situation rather than relying on a patient personality]

As mentioned at the beginning, only 25% were able to resist the marshmallow.
It's lucky if you fall into that 25%, but the reality is that most children do not.

For such children, simply "removing the temptation" can bring them much closer to a successful life.

This is great news for parents who were feeling down because their child lost at the 25% win-rate personality rock-paper-scissors game.

While a four-year-old cannot manipulate their surrounding environment themselves, it is something parents can control.

It is important not to forget that even we adults today can acquire the same self-control as those who are successful in life by manipulating our own situations.

The key is not on-the-spot control through willpower, but pre-emptive manipulation of the situation

There is a study involving university students showing that they could not resist temptation through on-the-spot control.

*Reference 6

In this study,
students were asked to report things they felt they 'shouldn't have done' or 'regretted doing'.

The reported content
included 'sleeping too much, staying up late, overeating, procrastinating, and being lazy'.

The average frequency of such feelings was 2 to 3 times per day.

When they relied on on-the-spot control (willpower) in those moments, the success rate was calculated, and it turned out to be the least effective method for overcoming temptation.

Even in this study targeting university students, the best way to overcome temptation was [pre-emptive control of stimuli], in other words, manipulating the situation.