What the Marshmallow Test can still teach us about self-control

Personal GrowthParenting

Oct 28

Written By Calm Editorial Team

Clinically reviewed by Dr. Chris Mosunic, PhD, RD, MBA

The Marshmallow Test was once psychology’s big predictor of success. Discover what more recent findings have shown and 12 ways to boost self-control (no experiment needed).

A single marshmallow on a plate might not sound like much of a test, but back in the late 1960s, psychologist Walter Mischel used it as a way to study delayed gratification in children. The idea was simple: if the child could wait 15 minutes without eating a marshmallow, they would then be rewarded with two.

For years, the “Marshmallow Test” was held up as proof that the ability to resist temptation for a later, better reward was the secret ingredient behind future success. Dr. Mischel determined that the kids who waited supposedly went on to get better grades, earn higher incomes, and live healthier lives. But the real picture is more complicated.

New research has reframed its meaning, and while self-control definitely plays a part in future success, other factors matter too — like background, conditioning, and biology. Here’s what science says about the Marshmallow Test today, along with simple, research-backed ways to improve your self-control to reach your future goals.

What is the Marshmallow Test?

The Marshmallow Test was first run in the late 1960s by psychologist Walter Mischel at Stanford University. In its classic setup, a child sat alone in a room with a marshmallow on the table. The researcher explained that the child could eat the marshmallow right away, or wait about 15 minutes to receive a second one.

On the surface, it looked like a simple choice between one or two treats. But in its essence, the experiment was designed to study delayed gratification, which is the ability to resist an immediate reward for the promise of a larger one later.

The treat wasn’t always a marshmallow — sometimes, it was swapped for cookies or pretzels, depending on what the child liked best. But the main point of the experiment was the same, to create a temptation strong enough to test how children managed self-control in real time, with observable behavior rather than surveys or reports.

What were the findings of the Marshmallow Test?

When researchers followed up with the group of children from the initial Marshmallow Test several years later, they reported what seemed like striking patterns at the time. The kids who had waited longer for the second marshmallow tended to score higher on their SATs, earn better teacher ratings, and even show lower rates of issues like weight struggles or substance use.

These results were widely interpreted as evidence that early self-control was a predictor of later achievement. In the decades that followed, the Marshmallow Test became a cultural shorthand for grit and discipline, and it was often cited in textbooks, as parenting advice, and during public debates about education and success.

That said, the original studies had limits. The sample size was small, and mostly drawn from the children of Stanford faculty and staff. Still, the story was too appealing to ignore, and it stuck in the public imagination as one of psychology’s most famous experiments.

What does the science say now about the link between delayed gratification and success?

While initially the Marshmallow Test findings were considered revolutionary, more recent, large-scale studies have shown that the Marshmallow Test doesn’t tell the whole story. When researchers replicated the experiment with more diverse groups of children, they didn’t see as strong of a link between waiting for a marshmallow and more success later in life.

One of the key insights is that the test wasn’t only measuring willpower, it was also measuring context. Basically, children make decisions based on the environments they live in and the resources they have.

Here are a few examples of how environment can shape decisions and whether children waited for the second marshmallow or not:

Trust issues: Kids who had reasons to doubt that the second marshmallow would appear (due to inconsistent parenting or teachers) were more likely to eat the first one.
Socioeconomic stability plays a role: Children from wealthier households often waited longer for the second marshmallow because their life experience taught them that future rewards were reliable.
Scarcity and unpredictability: For children growing up with economic scarcity or unpredictability, eating what’s available now can be an adaptive, rational choice.

This reframe shifts the Marshmallow Test away from being a moral tale about character and more toward being a reflection of how opportunity, stability, and self-control interact.

So while the initial findings do make sense (delayed gratification can predict future outcomes), the modern takeaway is more nuanced: patience and discipline matter, but they develop within conditions that support them.

12 research-backed tips to improve your self-control

Given what we know now about the Marshmallow Test, self-control isn’t some superpower you’re born with or without. It’s more like a muscle that gets stronger when you treat it with care instead of punishment.

What actually helps is creating small systems that do the heavy lifting for you. Below are 12 research-backed ways to strengthen self-control without trying to overhaul your entire life.

1. Reshape your environment so that the good stuff shows up first

You’re more likely to grab the thing that’s easiest to reach. So, say you’re trying to eat more healthily: then, put fruit, nuts, or protein bars in plain sight, and hide or make indulgences harder to see or access.

Stash snack bags in opaque containers, or remove saved credit cards in browsers so impulse buys require a few extra steps. At night, try a small tweak like turning your phone to grayscale. Suddenly, those glowing icons feel less enticing.

2. Plan ahead with “if‑then” rules for your weak moments

Your brain does better when it doesn’t have to decide under pressure. Pick a few trouble spots you know you’ll hit (a mid‑afternoon slump, bedtime scrolling, or stress snacking) and script what you’ll actually do instead.

Wait five minutes before you decide to impulse buy, or say, “If I feel like scrolling in bed, I’ll plug my phone into the other side of the room.” Those little detours create breathing room for your impulses to settle.

3. Train small delays to build your “wait” muscle

You don’t need to abstain from your treat forever. You just need to get okay with waiting — that’s where the real delayed gratification comes in.

First, start with a three-minute pause when an urge hits. If after three minutes, things still feel urgent, reassess. For cravings or impulsive wants, try riding the wave for 10 minutes, since the stakes can be bigger. And for bigger decisions (say, a shopping splurge), insert a one-day cooling-off buffer before you go ahead and shop.

💙 Try a quick Body Scan meditation from the Calm app when you feel temptation coming on to redirect your focus.

4. Pair temptation with something you already want to do

Use a reward as your “hook” for getting through something you might resist. Maybe that means you only allow yourself to watch your favorite show while you fold laundry or walk on a treadmill, or maybe create a special playlist you only listen to when doing your annoying (but necessary tasks) like budgeting or studying.

This makes the process feel less like willpower, and more like “earning your reward.”

5. Set bright-line rules instead of fuzzy goals

Ambiguity is like kryptonite for self-control. Once you turn your intention into a clear line, you remove mental debate.

So, create rules for yourself, such as “no screens at the table” or “desserts only on weekends.” It helps reduce decision fatigue, and makes you more likely to stick to your goals.

6. Precommit when motivation is strong

Your future self will thank you if you schedule big commitments during your high-motivation windows. Then, the weak moment doesn’t win.

You could subscribe to a healthy meal plan with default options, schedule app blockers for work hours, or tell a friend your plan and put down a small deposit to forfeit if you don’t follow through. These little tips all make sure your plans stay on track.

7. Reduce decision load by automating habit triggers

Every decision is a chance to slip, so if you can shrink that number, you make life a little easier. At night, for instance, pick your next day’s breakfast, outfit, and workout, so your morning isn’t a free-for-all.

Create a go-to morning ritual that gets you into the flow, or use checklists so you don’t debate every step. The less time it takes you to decide something, the more likely you are to go through with the original goal.

8. Make progress visible and time-bound

Your brain loves receipts. Write a short weekly target you’ll see daily (like read 20 pages by Friday, for instance), and then use a calendar or to-do list to cross it off. If you miss, restart without shame.

It also helps to break down big tasks into micro-milestones. Using the Pomodoro Technique (where you work for 25 minutes and then take a 5-minute break) can help improve your concentration and make things easier to manage.

9. Train attention, not just your inhibition

Once your focus moves elsewhere, your self-control will likely wander, too. When an urge hits, try this.

Pause and take two breaths
Name the urge (snacking, scrolling, whatever it might be)
Observe what your body was doing when the urge came about

You can also try “urge surfing”, where you feel the impulses rise and fall for 90 seconds without reacting. To get back to focusing, use cues that help re-anchor your focus, like going full-screen, using noise-canceling headphones, or using a “do not disturb” card in your workspace.

10. Support the body behind the self-control

You can’t expect a fatigued brain to resist everything. Prioritize consistent sleep — even adding 30–60 extra minutes can help your decision bandwidth.

Try limiting your caffeine so that your energy doesn’t crash by late afternoon, and move your body daily so that you can clear your head when things get overwhelming.

💙 Find support in movement during Calm’s Mindful Movement session with Mel Mah.

11. Lean on identity and community, not just internal grit

The groups we belong to and the stories we tell ourselves play a huge role in how we react to things. Try saying, “I’m someone who saves first, then spends” instead of, “I’m trying not to overspend.” After all, your self-talk matters.

In terms of community, it helps to find a buddy: do work sessions together, send each other updates at the start and end of your workday, and even take parallel breaks. Place cues in your space (running shoes near the door or a book on your pillow, for instance) that silently whisper, “This is who I am.”

12. Build compassionate resets, not punishments

You will slip — everyone does, and you need to learn to be gentle with yourself. Look at each slip-up as an opportunity for improvement.

After a misstep, try reflecting on it and asking: what triggered it? What helped and what didn’t?

Design a small reset ritual for after, like drinking water, taking two breaths, or picking your next step, and then adjust by making the next attempt easier. After all, willpower can only do so much.

💙 Quickly pause with a three-minute ritual like Reset with the Breath with Jay Shetty in the Calm app.

Marshmallow Test FAQs

What was the meaning of the Marshmallow Test?

At its core, the Marshmallow Test was meant to measure a child’s ability to delay gratification — aka, to see whether they would choose a bigger reward later instead of a smaller one right away.

Psychologists believed this reflected self-control and could predict how disciplined and successful the children would become in daily life. Over time, the experiment came to symbolize the idea that patience and willpower were essential ingredients for long-term success.

Why do experts say the Marshmallow Test might be flawed?

The reason experts agree the test wasn’t fully accurate is because the original studies had small, relatively homogenous samples (mostly children of Stanford faculty and staff). This meant you couldn’t really generalize the findings to apply to broader populations, like low-income households or children of other age groups.

Later research showed that factors like socioeconomic background, household stability, and prior experiences with trust played a huge role in whether children chose to wait for the second marshmallow.

Those studies said that if a child was raised in unpredictable circumstances, eating the marshmallow right away wasn’t a failure of discipline, but a reasonable decision based on their lived reality — they weren’t in a circumstance to trust that a second marshmallow would come later.

Overall, this research suggests that the Marshmallow Test measured more than just willpower, which makes its early conclusions too simplistic.

Does the Marshmallow Test apply to adults?

It can, but in a much looser sense. While adults definitely face countless “marshmallow moments” throughout their lives—like saving money instead of spending it, going to bed instead of scrolling, or sticking with a workout instead of skipping it—the difference is their choices are shaped by stress, habits, social pressures, and responsibilities.

Unlike preschoolers in a lab, adults also have more tools they can use to structure our environments, like budgets, calendars, or accountability partners, which can support self-control. So while the metaphor still resonates, the experiment doesn’t capture the full complexity of adult life.

What is the link between the Marshmallow Test and self-control?

The Marshmallow Test helped bring the concept of delayed gratification into popular culture. It highlighted that self-control does play a role in long-term outcomes.

But newer research suggests that while self-control is definitely important, it interacts with context, resources, and support systems. It’s less about a single heroic act of willpower, and more about how consistently you can make choices that align with your goals given your circumstances.

How can I improve my self-control?

Improving self-control relies on small, sustainable changes: think restructuring your environment, building supportive routines, and practicing short delays. All of these can make good choices feel easier.

Leaning on social accountability can also help, but most importantly, self-control grows when you protect the basics like getting enough sleep, fueling your body well, and managing stress. You’re basically just setting up conditions where the better choice becomes the easier one.

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Calm Editorial Team