The Stanford marshmallow experiment was a study on delayed gratification in 1972 led by psychologist Walter Mischel. The researchers followed each child for more than 40 years and over and over again, the group who waited patiently for the second marshmallow succeed in whatever capacity they were measuring. In other words, this series of experiments proved that the ability to delay gratification was critical for success in life. | Sacred Thomas

Will-Power in Children & Future Success | The Marshmallow Experiment by Stanford University’s Walter Mischel, PhD. This experiment (originally done in the 1970s) highlights how delayed gratification in children may predict life outcomes such as SAT scores, educational attainment, body mass index (BMI), social skills & substance abuse issues. Replication of this study on larger scales suggests that economic background, rather than willpower, better predicts children’s behavior & long-term success