Member-only story
How to Eat Marshmallows, Forget Success and Live a Happy Life
The myth of the marshmallow experiment or how to learn to forget the uncertain future and enjoy the tangible present
— Kid, you have two options. Eat this marshmallow now or wait 15 minutes and have 2 marshmallows instead of one.
— Wait. What?
— If you can wait, it means you are going to be a successful person in ten years, have a great SAT score, an ideal body mass index, and a very good educational attainment.
— (Eats the marshmallow.)
— Why did you eat the marshmallow? I haven’t started the timer yet!
— Well, first, you can’t assure me that I was going to have two marshmallows in 15 minutes if I don’t eat this one. I mean, you can promise but the circumstances may vary and I don’t’ receive another marshmallow. Second, who knows, I may get a second marshmallow even if I eat the first one because I can make the circumstances change. I can negotiate with you, play some emotional blackmail, or try to get the marshmallows when you don’t see, you know? And third, the most important, I prefer to live in the present moment than in the future and I wanted the marshmallow in this present moment. I mean, there were no really bad consequences…
