A famous experiment was done in the
1960’s by scientists at Stanford who wanted to test the willpower
of a group of 4-yr-olds. The kids were brought into a room &
presented with a selection of treats, including marshmallows. They
were offered a deal: They could eat one marshmallow right away, or,
if they waited a few minutes, they could have two marshmallows. Then
the researchers left the room. Some kids gave in to temptation &
ate the marshmallow as soon as the adult left. About 30% managed to
ignore their urges, & doubled their treats when the researcher
came back 15 minutes later. Scientists, who were watching everything
from behind a 2-way mirror, kept careful track of which kids had
enough self-control to earn the second marshmallow.
Years later, they tracked down many of
the study’s participants. By now, they were in high school. The
researchers asked about their grades & SAT scores, their ability
to maintain friendships, & their capacity to “cope with
important problems.” They discovered that the 4-yr-olds who could
delay gratification the longest ended up with the best grades &
with SAT scores 210 points higher, on average, than everyone else.
They were also more popular & fewer did drugs. If you knew how to
avoid the temptation of a marshmallow as a preschooler, it seemed,
you also knew how to get yourself to class on time & finish your
homework once you got older, as well as how to make friends &
resist peer pressure. It was as if the marshmallow-ignoring kids had
self-regulatory skills that gave them an advantage throughout their
lives.
Maybe Jesus knew what he was talking about when he told his followers to deny themselves.
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