Marshmallow Test
Delayed Gratification
A purported connection between self-regulation and long-term positive outcomes, where the ability to forego immediate rewards is evidence of a discipline that serves in many other beneficial areas of life.
Origin
Based on experiments at Stanford beginning in 1970, led by psychologist Walter Mischel. Children were offered one marshmallow now or two if they waited 15 minutes. Follow-up studies suggested waiters fared better in life (higher SAT scores, lower BMI). However, a 2018 replication by Watts, Duncan, and Quan found the correlations largely disappeared once family background was controlled for.
Everyday Use
Our days are often a series of struggles between short-term satisfaction versus long-term discipline. The broader lesson is in appreciating the whole environment before making that quick decision — and we will often fail, only to be faced with an opportunity to practice our "Patience for the 2nd Marshmallow" again the next time.