the marshmallow test

The "marshmallow test" is a psychological experiment designed to study delay of gratification, which is the ability to resist an immediate reward for a more valuable future reward. In the test, a child is offered one treat immediately or two treats if they can wait for the experimenter to return. Children who demonstrate a greater ability to delay gratification in this test tend to be more socially and academically successful later in life. Strategies like focusing on the "cool," intellectual aspects of the reward rather than the "hot," emotional ones can help improve waiting ability. Stress, however, can impair this capacity. The marshmallow itself is a type of aerated candy.1