The Marshmallow Test: Mastering Self-control

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Little, Brown, 2014 - PSYCHOLOGY - 326 pages
"Renowned psychologist Walter Mischel, designer of the famous Marshmallow Test, explains what self-control is and how to master it. A child is presented with a marshmallow and given a choice: Eat this one now, or wait and enjoy two later. What will she do? And what are the implications for her behavior later in life? The world's leading expert on self-control, Walter Mischel has proven that the ability to delay gratification is critical for a successful life, predicting higher SAT scores, better social and cognitive functioning, a healthier lifestyle and a greater sense of self-worth. But is willpower prewired, or can it be taught? In The Marshmallow Test, Mischel explains how self-control can be mastered and applied to challenges in everyday life--from weight control to quitting smoking, overcoming heartbreak, making major decisions, and planning for retirement. With profound implications for the choices we make in parenting, education, public policy and self-care, The Marshmallow Test will change the way you think about who we are and what we can be. "--

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About the author (2014)

Walter Mischel was born in Vienna, Austria on February 22, 1930. After his family fled the Nazis in 1938, they eventually settled in Brooklyn, New York in 1940. He received a bachelor's degree in psychology at New York University and a Ph.D. from Ohio State University. He joined the Harvard University faculty in 1962, the Stanford University faculty in 1977, and the Columbia University faculty in 1983. He was best known for the marshmallow test, which challenged children to wait before eating a treat. This study of delayed gratification in young children clarified the importance of self-control in human development. His book, The Marshmallow Test: Mastering Self-Control, was published in 2014. He died from pancreatic cancer on September 12, 2018 at the age of 88.

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