By Walter Mischel, PhD
Where did I find this?
This book came from a random whim, while looking through the audible catalog for a new read. At the time I was struggling with focus and remaining on task, thus the promise of a greater understanding of self control was really appealing.
Should you pick this up?
9.5/10
I enjoyed this book immensely, and actually have both the audible version (Narrated by Alan Alda) and the print version for reference. I cannot recommend this work enough and looked forward to my times reading it.
Review
The central pillar on which these Stanford studies are based is a simple test, in which young children were put in a room with a table. Upon the table rested a plate, resting in the middle of which was a single marshmallow. Investigators would come into the room with the child and tell them that they could either eat the marshmallow now, or if they waited, get two marshmallows later. The researcher would then exit the room, leaving the child alone with the marshmallow.
At this point is where the magic happens. Some of the children cave in quickly and take the marshmallow from the plate, consuming it rapidly. However, much to the surprise of the researchers other children would not, with participants under 6 showing a large degree of control over their emotions. Indeed, in showing restraint the children developed a number of complex strategies to avoid eating the marshmallow. These included talking to themselves and affirming that the marshmallow was not real and thus they shouldn’t eat it. Other kids would physically turn around so they could not see the marshmallow, thus making the wait easier.
While these strategies and the stories of the early studies with the children at Stanford are interesting, the true beauty of the studies only came later. When the researchers tracked the children across a number of metrics it became rapidly apparent that those who were able to show restraint early on in life were more successful later, when considering things like level of education and financial success.
Next, the authors go into an exposition of how to engender this kind of grit and self-discipline both in ourselves and in our children. As a parent of young children I began to implement some of these findings immediately and found that it payed rapid dividends in the grit exhibited by my older son.
This book is a fascinating trip down a clearly important thread of research and merits your time and attention.
Think Live Grow 