there is a way to overcome your deepest fears
the scary stuff that keeps you up at night
like dieting
just when you need it most...
the results of a new long-term study, which first began more
than 40 years ago with the now-famous marshmallow test
in preschoolers, may offer some clues
in the late 1960s, researchers submitted hundreds of
four-year-olds to an ingenious little test of willpower
the kids were put in a small room with a marshmallow
placed on the center of their desks
they were told they could either eat the treat now
or, if they could hold out for another 15 minutes
until the researcher returned, they could have two
most of the kids said they would and could wait
but some failed to resist the pull of temptation for
less than a minute...
many others struggled a little longer before eating the treat
the most successful children figured out how to distract
themselves, some by turning around, covering their eyes
or even kicking and beating on their desk
15 years later, follow-up studies on these preschoolers found
that those who were able to wait the 15 minutes were
significantly less likely to have problems with behavior
drug addiction or obesity as well as other emotional problems
- at least by the time they finished high school
these gratification-delayers also scored an average of 210
points higher on their SATs and did well in other testing
but there was one group that had more miraculous results
- these children have gone on to become professors
captains of industry, comedians and many became CEOs
those were the children who set their desks on fire
and roasted the marshmallows in order to enhance the
flavor and bring out the hidden caramel sweetness
the final analysis of the study determined that
willpower is a useless goal, just a scientifically proven myth
where as genius is always getting what you want, now
just ask most 4 year olds
eat up
