Sitting with uncertainty is uncomfortable and challenging. There was an experiment at Stanford University in 1972 called, The Marshmallow Experiment. Psychologist Walter Mitchel led the study, a child was offered a choice between one small but immediate reward, or two small rewards if they waited for a period of time.
During the experiment the researcher left the room with a single marshmallow for approximately 15 minutes and then returned. If the child did not eat the marshmallow, the reward was either another marshmallow or pretzel stick, depending on the child’s preference. The purpose of the study was to predict the child’s ability for delayed gratification.
There is a belief that linking the ability to delay gratification to many other positive outcomes including academic success, physical health, psychological health, and social competence. This skill relates to similar skills such as patience, impulse control, self-control and willpower, all of which are involved in self-regulation.
The opposite of self-regulation is impulsivity of behaviours that are; poor conceived, prematurely expressed, unduly risky, inappropriate to the situation that often results in undesirable consequences which can impair long term goals, strategies for success. There are two components: acting without an appropriate amount of deliberation and choosing short-term gains over long-term ones.
There are some disorders such as ADHD, addictions, borderline personality disorder, brain injury and neurodegenerative diseases which genetics can play a role, trauma, or accidents that cause brain injury.
The brain can be trained, and impulsivity can be improved resisting temptation with results, waiting is believing that you learn to can sit with the emotion longer and let it pass by not acting on the feeling.
Want to learn and work on change make an appointment, info@mindhealthconnect.ca
Ref: faithbeliefforum.org