Sociologist Walter Mischel, who became interested in how youngsters resist instant gratification, decided to test his theory in a groundbreaking study now known as the “marshmallow test.” In the study, Mischel offered the subjects (all preschool children) the choice of a marshmallow right away or two if they waited 15 minutes. Marked differences were found in the children’s ability to wait: some “low delayers” were unable to wait even a minute while “high delayers” were able to put off gratification for up to 20 minutes.
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