Can You Resist a Marshmallow? Your Happiness Might Depend On It!

By Mike Stolte

Can you resist a marshmallow? Psychologist Philip Zimbardo, author of The Lucifer Effect and creator of many renowned experiments, looks at the relationship between happiness and time, in a video mini-lecture at TED (Technology, Education, Design), a leading disseminator of 'ideas worth spreading.' If you can resist the marshmallow (as a third of 4-year-olds were able to do) for 2 more marshmallows later, your success in life is much more likely. Higher scores on the SATs (250 points!), more confidence, less trouble, more success.

In all societies we have a different 'time perspective', putting a different value on the past, present & the future.

Some people live in the past (positive to negative), others are more oriented to the present (hedonist to fatalist). In our Western society we place a premium on the future (life-goal-oriented to transcendental). Many of us suffer from the incorrect balance of these competing time perspectives. Those who solely value the future will sacrifice fun, friends, family, personal indulgences, hobbies, and sleep. They live for work, achievement and control.

Zimbardo admits he escaped his old neighbourhood that was fixated on old ethnic battles (past negative) and present fatalism by valuing the future. The ideal mix can be achieved with a mental shift in our orientation to:

• high - past positive (roots/groundedness around family and identity)
• moderate - future hedonism (giving energy to explore people, places, self, sensuality)
• moderately high - future life-goal-oriented (wings to soar to destinations and challenges)
  

It's worth checking out this relatively simple concept.

Watch the six minute video http://tinyurl.com/lb4vk3