The Marshmallow Test: Oh, the Temptation

Can you pass The Marshmallow Test? The willpower of several children was put to the test in this delightful short film that's been making the rounds on Vimeo.

See video, below the jump...

Steve V's short film Oh, the Temptation features two hidden cameras on a group of children who are given a choice: you can eat the marshmallow in front of you -- or don't eat it and you'll get two. How will they do? Oh, the humanity. Oh, the temptation.

Oh, The Temptation from Steve V on Vimeo.

Comments (7)

oh!!!! i love that. i wonder if my husband would pass that temptation.

Oh man. This is a famous experiment. What they are measuring is a child's ability to delay gratification. The thing of it is that kids who do manage to delay their gratification also tend to be kids that grow-up to be successful. The moral: Teach your children to wait for TWO marshmallows!

i love the little girl that figured one was enough and went ahead and ate it!

Hilariously, my husband probably would have waited even if he only got one marshmallow later. He always wound up eating his favorite Easter candy (Creme Eggs) the following year, when he got the new batch of Creme Eggs.

I have always been the delay gratification person. when I was a kid I would save the best halloween candy for ages. usually by the time I was ready for it, my dad had secretly finished it off!

classic!!!!! (and wrencrain, thanks for that addendum.... is there a link to the original experiment?)