Delayed satisfaction is a big deal in human psychological science and underpins many view of human cultivation , from social interaction to religion . The germinal work on this was the 1972 Stanford marshmallow experiment . Pre - schoolers were tempt with a little reinforcement ( a marshmallow or a pretzel ) directly or a doubled reward after waiting 15 minute .
The background gene also played a role in the willpower itself . We can well understand that it is easier to resist temptations and confide an authority figure if you descend from a privileged background . Modern work published last year , co - author by the original author of the experiment , Walter Mischel – exhibit that the test itselfdoesn’t actually have predictive powerwhen it come to ego - regulation in midlife .
So whether or not you had ego - controller as a kid does n’t make a Brobdingnagian deviation , but understanding why we occasionally ( or possibly often ) ca n’t resist temptations is significant . And this extend beyond humans – delayed gratification has been tested in several other species to realize if it is a scheme that is rough-cut in the natural world .
A famous and late example of this is the discovery thatcuttlefish also have the self - controlto pass the hold up satisfaction test . They did n’t get the option between one or two marshmallows , but they had to choose between bugger off some crab immediately or waiting 50 to 130 seconds before go shrimp , a food that they prefer to eat .
In creature , delay satisfaction has also been seen in non - human apes , parrot , andsome specie of the brag category . Adding cuttlefish to the mix give us a very complex view of why this behavior happens across multiple species . give that cuttle are not collaborative , their ability to wait for good solid food might be a by-product of their hunting strategies . Cuttlefish often sit and hold back for prey , so they might just be effective at being patient .
We do not yet have enough data to understand the inherent mechanism behind delayed gratification in the animate being kingdom , humans include . Arecent reviewof 52 sketch highlighted that there has not been a diverse enough range of animals studied to make out to firm conclusion . And within individual of the same species , there is a lot of fluctuation , just like we see in humans .
It is unmanageable to dissociate the marshmallow test from other social factors in humans , so take care at fauna might provide some clue on what process are behind decision making between instant satisfaction and future payoff . Or maybe Wilde was right that in the end the only way to get disembarrass of a temptation is to cede to it .
