Marshmallow Research Paper

Would you be able to wait for two minutes to eat a marshmallow? There have been constant discussions going on around the world as to whether or not willpower is important in life. These studies have many varied results but more often than not, they all produced similar results to an extent. Some studies show that having willpower from a young age makes you more likely to be successful at an older age. It has also been shown that having willpower can help you in the long run, but more often than not it will not always matter. There have been many positive results proving that having a strong sense of willpower is extremely beneficial. Over the years there have been studies done on kids where a man would hand the children a marshmallow. The …show more content…
Before the encounter with the man who would promise another marshmallow, they would encounter another man who would promise the child fun art supplies. The man would either give them as promised, or never give them. This would change the way the children thought about whether or not they would actually be getting another marshmallow. Out of all the fourteen children who did not receive the art supplies, only one was able to resist the urge for fifteen minutes. The reason this happened was because it changed the reliability the children had in the man’s promise of another marshmallow. To most of them, going for the first marshmallow seemed like the safest option for them. Outside influence played a big role in this experiment due to how it can change how children felt about the promise of another tasty treat. According to Celeste Kidd, the lead author on this study, this experiment did not just show if the children were capable of waiting but also shows “their belief about the practicality of waiting” (Kidd). This version of the experiment shows that willpower is not always the most reliable thing to base an argument, but it still plays a huge role …show more content…
For example, in the revisited marshmallow experiment, they brought in the extra factor if having an unreliable man promise to bring art supplies, while for some children he would bring the supplies, while for others he would not. This changed the children's thoughts as to whether or not they would actually be receiving an extra marshmallow after fifteen minutes have passed. However, this does not necessarily mean that they would not be successful later on in life. Studies have indeed proven that children who have a stronger willpower did much better on later in life than those who do not. Willpower also factors into a multitude of things, such as everyday urges. Whether you choose to buy something now or buy it later, you will still most likely end up spending money if you wait. Unless you have your own methods into suppressing impulse urges, eventually you will give into that