Lecture by Asya Kazantseva: “The science of delaying gratification: “What have half a century of (not) eating marshmallows taught us?”

If you are slightly interested in science, then you have heard about the marshmallow test. If you are more interested in science, then you heard that five years ago this discovery was closed.

If you are a science guru, then you know that in reality everything is more complicated. Yes, the ability to delay gratification correlates with future academic success. No, this connection is not universal, and a child’s assessments depend much more strongly on his living conditions.

But the main thing is that this is far from the only experimental paradigm for studying delayed reward.

There is something to add here for neuroscientists who put subjects into a tomograph, and for trainers who come up with tricks for experimental animals.

We are interested in whether it still makes sense to develop the ability to lay marshmallows in yourself and your children. And if so, how should this be approached?