delayed-gratification

Walter Mischel's 1972 marshmallow test predicted life outcomes from a single moment of self-control. A 2018 replication of 918 children changed the story.

In 2018, Watts, Duncan, and Quan retested the marshmallow experiment with 900 children. The self-control prediction largely collapsed once family background was controlled for.

Walter Mischel's famous marshmallow test shaped how we think about self-control. New research shows the story is more complicated than willpower.