Can You Resist the Marshmallow?

Imagine you’re four years old, sitting in a quiet room with a fluffy marshmallow placed right in front of you. A friendly adult tells you, “You can eat this now, or wait fifteen minutes and get two marshmallows instead.” Your tiny fingers twitch. Your stomach grumbles. Do you dive in—or do you wait for the bigger reward?

This simple yet powerful experiment, known as the Marshmallow Test, has fascinated psychologists for decades. Conducted in the 1970s by Walter Mischel at Stanford University, this study wasn’t just about children resisting a sugary treat—it was a groundbreaking