Marshmallows and Pretzels and Other Good Things

  In the 1960s hundreds of four year olds were the subject of several studies about their ability to delay gratification.  The best known one became known as the Marshmallow experiment.  In that one the children were told they could have one marshmallow, but if they could keep from eating it for 15 minutes they could have two.  Some children did manage to hold out.  They found various ways to distract themselves, or control their desire.  Some turned around so they couldn't see the marshmallow.  Others covered their eyes.  Some pretended the marshmallow was something else, like a cloud or a fake marshmallow.  Some became busy kicking at the legs of the table where they were sitting.  The successful children continued to be successful in many other ways.  The results were written about in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of  the United States of America in 2011.  For example these "high delayers" averaged a score of 210 points higher on the SAT tests. These kids at four years old were already figuring out how to use the executive function, or prefrontal cortex, part of their brain to get them what they wanted.  At times it is important to be emotional.  At times it is important to use will power.  Your Smart Hat can help you decide which is which.  These studies continued for forty years and the collaborators were at different universities, like Duke and Cornell.  One of the things they found was that some children were not as able at first to wait and earn the second marshmallow, but were later able to develop more willpower.  Willpower is a big key to developing and expressing your brain power.  So put on Your Smart Hat and shine.