Fuel for Thought

Marshmallows And The Expediter

Thought that runs through head: If that person who cut me off in traffic was raised properly they wouldn't be out here trying to kill everyone.

Or: How do I keep from throttling that one receiving technician at that one particular, unnamed customer, who goes out of her way to antagonize anyone who shows up with a delivery?

Or: I'm going to die if dispatch doesn't have something for me by this afternoon.

Why are some people so out of control? How do I manage my self-control? But I'm so boooored...where are those cigarettes?

The Marshmallow Test is a very good read for people who are interested in what makes people do what they do. It's probably a really good read for people BEFORE they have children.

You might be familiar with videos or news stories that feature a pre-schooler who is given the decision to ring a bell and get a treat right now, or wait until an attendant returns "later" and receive a bigger award for delaying the immediate impulse to eat the treat. The fun of the videos is watching the behavior of the children as they try to get through the torture of waiting for the bigger award. Most of these reenactments are based on the experiments originally developed by Walter Mischel in the 60's. The Marshmallow Test is Mischel's recently released book that he wrote to straighten out misconceptions about his discoveries and to pull together the whole story of the research from his early research through the technology of today that validates his thirty years of studies.

The core of the story is that the children who delayed their treat-now impulse in later years saw better success, better health, less addiction, more stable social lives, and were better equipped to handle stress. The important finding was that if someone wasn't as talented at controlling immediate gratification there are teachable tips and trick that help train the brain to function more like the brain that has better self-control.

I had fun making connections to expediting as I read the book, but the concepts are so general, it's hard to escape the realm of self-control or the lack of it as it relates to any decision making for anyone.

eb