"The Marshmallow Test" - The Effects of Willpower

More confidence and resilience

It was not until years after the experiment that Mischel discovered new findings. Children who were able to influence their perception, to control their self-control and thus have the patience to wait, managed to control themselves better in adulthood. Compared to the children who reached for the treat within a very short time, they were able to demonstrate a better developed self-confidence. A higher level of social competence and resistance to stress were also shown to be beneficial. The ability to postpone rewards was also clearly evident in the way the children lived their lives.

In his findings, Mischel states that willpower is considered a key competence and is causally related to emotional competence. From this he concludes that self-control is of fundamental importance for socially adapted action. By controlling our perception, we also improve our self-control, but the right mediocrity is of great importance here. Too much as well as too little control can be challenging. But where are the sources of a better willpower? Can this be learned or is it even genetically determined? Mischel answers these questions with the fact that people are definitely capable of adopting various strategies for improving self-control.