• waterbird@lemmy.blahaj.zoneEnglish
    5·
    22 hours ago

    sometimes i think about that kid in the experiment who was sat down and told to wait some time before eating the sweetness put in front of him

    that his patience would bring a reward

    and i think about how they laughed when he didn’t succeed in waiting and instead crammed the entire gummy bear into his mouth the second they left

    looking so guilty afterward

    the way they gloated and collected data and prognosticated about his future job prospects and potential success-
    certainly not as good as those who waited, they said

    it was something about self-control

    i know all too well that when he got home there were probably no sweets
    or if there were, they were there for a moment only
    before being snatched away by either cruel hands or circumstance,

    no guarantee that promises meant anything, much less that they were kept.

    if it had been me in that chair
    i’d have eaten it too.

  • emeralddawn45@discuss.tchncs.deEnglish
    151·
    2 days ago

    This study is actually kind of sad, because upon further reflection on the data, it was found that the kids with “poor impulse control” were actually less likely to trust authority figures because they had experienced so many letdowns or broken promises from adult role models in their lives. Kids with happy home lives who were used to getting treats were way more likely to wait for the second marshmallow, whereas kids who had been consistently lied to or had never been given spontaneous treats by their caretakers were more likely to just take what was right in front of them.

      • BombOmOm@lemmy.worldEnglish
        5·
        2 days ago

        Growing up impoverished certainly teaches one poor lessons for how to get out of poverty; however people have the ability to learn and modify their behavior. Helping one modify their behavior in positive ways must be encouraged as it is one of the ways out of the cycle.

        • chuckleslord@lemmy.worldEnglish
          22·
          2 days ago

          Or… we shouldn’t have a pass/fail on people being able to live happily on earth. We have more than enough for everyone to live.

          Like yeah, individuals should look for ways to improve their scenarios since often the system isn’t willing to help, but it shouldn’t be the first solution for others to look for.

  • judgyweevil@feddit.itEnglish
    22·
    2 days ago

    The kid is smart, he gets an healthy dose of marshmallow now instead of a sickening quantity later

        • lugal@sopuli.xyzEnglish
          9·
          2 days ago

          No, All Marshmallows Are Sickening

          An apple a day keeps the social experiment away

          • MBech@feddit.dkEnglish
            3·
            2 days ago

            God I hate having to upvote such heretic beliefs, but you did add to the conversation… albeit negatively…

        • KingJalopy @lemm.eeEnglish
          1·
          2 days ago

          Just curious… What would a healthy dose of methamphetamines be? Hypothetically, of course.

          • 0ops@lemm.eeEnglish
            4·
            2 days ago

            Whatever the doctor prescribed. A lot of ADHD meds are technically meth

            • KingJalopy @lemm.eeEnglish
              3·
              2 days ago

              Pretty sure that’s not meth, those are amphetamine or dextro-amphetamine. I’m not a chemist but the meth part makes a biiig difference in my experience. I love Adderall once and awhile for busy days, cleaning, hiking, whatever, but the only time I did meth I geeked the fuck out for 14 hours and nearly beat my dick to death, woke up 2 days late enrolled in college (years after school with no intention of going to college lol). It was fun and easy to see how people get so strung out on it but I was far from functional.