Page 127 - The Power to Change Anything

116 INFLUENCER

In this and many similar studies, Mischel followed the chil-
dren into adulthood. He discovered that the ability to delay grat-
ification had a more profound effect than many had originally
predicted. Notwithstanding the fact that the researchers had
watched the kids for only a few minutes, what they learned from
the experiment was enormously telling. Children who had
been able to wait for that second marshmallow matured into
adults who were seen as more socially competent, self-assertive,
dependable, and capable of dealing with frustrations; and they
scored an average of 210 points higher on their SATs than peo-
ple who gulped down the one marshmallow. The predictive
power was truly remarkable.
Companion studies conducted over the next decade with
people of varying ages (including adults) confirmed that indi-
viduals who exercise self-control achieve better outcomes than
people who don’t. For example, if high schoolers are good at
self-control, they experience fewer eating and drinking prob-
lems. University students with more self-control earn better
grades, and married and working people have more fulfilling
relationships and better careers. And as you might suspect,
people who demonstrate low levels of self-control show higher
levels of aggression, delinquency, health problems, and so
forth.
Apparently, Mischel had stumbled onto the mother lode of
personality traits. Kids who had been blessed with the innate
capacity to withstand short-term temptations fared better
throughout their entire lives. The fact that a four-year-old’s one-
time response to a sugary confection predicts lifelong results is
at once exciting and depressing—depending on whether you
are a “grabber” or a “delayer.” You’re either well fitted to take
on the temptations of the world or doomed to a lifelong fate of
enjoy now, pay later—as might well be the lot of our friend
Henry.
But is this what’s really going on in these studies? Are some
people wired to succeed and others to fail?