The Marshmallow Test

A child is presented with a marshmallow and given a choice: Eat this one now, or wait and enjoy two later. What will she do? Walter Mischel’s ‘marshmallow test,’ one of the most famous experiments in the history of psychology, proved that the ability to delay gratification is critical to living a successful life.

Drawing on decades of research and life examples to explore the nature of willpower, the cognitive skills and mental mechanisms that enable it, and how this can be applied to everyday life – from weight control to overcoming heartbreak.