Character development has always been a core theme of our publishing list here at the press, so it’s nice to stumble across this wonderfully fun video that recreates one of the more famous behavioral studies on important character traits like self-control and the ability to delay gratification. Columnist David Brooks explains the original experiment thusly:
AROUND 1970, psychologist Walter Mischel launched a classic experiment. He left a succession of 4-year-olds in a room with a bell and a marshmallow. If they rang the bell, he would come back and they could eat the marshmallow. If, however, they didn’t ring the bell and waited for him to come back on his own, they could then have two marshmallows…The children who waited longer went on to get higher SAT scores. They got into better colleges and had, on average, better adult outcomes. The children who rang the bell quickest were more likely to become bullies. They received worse teacher and parental evaluations 10 years later and were more likely to have drug problems at age 32.
Self-control is a cornerstone virtue of success and we have a great new work in development for our Spring 2010 publishing list from author Christine Whelan that addresses the implications that our instant-gratification culture is having on young people. Until that book is off the presses though, enjoy these cute kids tearing their hair out, trying hard not to give in.
You can do it kids!
Posted by Templeton Editor 
