I recently watched the YouTube “Kids Marshmallow Experiment,” and besides being very entertaining…it was also very telling about human nature. In the experiment, children are videotaped while left alone with one marshmallow, on a plate, in front of them. The child is told that they may eat the marshmallow; however, if they do not eat the marshmallow until the instructor returns, they will be given a second marshmallow. The researchers are testing delayed gratification. However, the experiment also translates into a battle of willpower that adults struggle with too often. One child refuses to look at the marshmallow, one sneaks quick licks, and another goes cross-eyed with a single focused stare. One child takes nibbles (that you assume he thinks may go unnoticed) while another is very content to pop it into his mouth. The struggle in this contrived scenario helps explain why weight management is so complex. Humans have difficulty resisting temptation, and temptations are everywhere.
If the individual experimenting did not place the marshmallow in front of the children, the children would not be obsessed with eating a marshmallow. With the treat in reach, the kids are entirely unable to distract themselves from their longing, even with a looming reward. We live in a world of high-fat, sugary temptations, and as adults, we likely have limitless marshmallow-like access. Donuts brought into an office, french fries accompanying a sandwich, Girl Scout cookies bought out of community obligation, chocolates received as a thank-you, and ice cream originally intended for youngsters can sabotage the best of intentions. As adults, we repeatedly find ourselves in the position of the kid staring at the marshmallow. Although our ultimate reward for resisting life’s “ marshmallows” is to be healthier, leaner, look better, reduce the risks of disease, increase energy and live longer… the temptation of the marshmallow moment often wins.
One healthy strategy is to remove ourselves from the temptation whenever possible. Why challenge willpower when we typically lose that battle? Consider the stocked-up Halloween candy that never made it out the door, cookies that never made it into a child’s lunchbox, and the bag of chips (that claimed to be nine servings) that became one serving while watching Netflix. Instead of repeatedly challenging ourselves, why not avoid the confrontations? Why not and get the marshmallow off the plate and out of the pantry? Order a sandwich without the fries, remove the bowl of M&Ms from your desk, make a donation to the Girl Scouts without taking the cookies and limit the cake and ice cream for special occasions. If the temptation is not present, you don’t have to decide when and how much to eat. When you want a marshmallow, order it, buy it, bake it and enjoy every bite. You can not control all of the treats that come your way, and you shouldn’t have to, but the fewer temptations you have in front of you, the less you can reach, the less you will eat and the better you will feel—cheers to those who have fantastic willpower. For the rest of us, don’t leave the marshmallows out.
Melissa Wolfe 