The Marshmallow Test: Mastering Self-Control

I enjoyed reading this book largely because it gave a bit more insight into the studies and follow-up studies and results of the psychological studies into self control. If you're coming into this book after reading other books on willpower, self control, and grit, you're not going to hear much of anything new as far as approaches. What I like about the book is how it delves more into the academic studies and some of the real-world results, with clearer connections between what they found in the studies (yes, there were multiple studies over the decades into delay of gratification by many investigators, which is another thing I liked) and the follow-ups. It helps that the author is one of the investigators who carried out the oft-mentioned “marshmallow test,” and I think that helps add some insight. He looks at the various findings and adds his insight (including a brief comment on the whole “willpower is a muscle and tires” idea).

Read if you're interested in some more details on the findings and the connections Mischel and others found to delay of gratification and success later in life. He explains how genes and environment combined have influence on individual's self control, and how delay of gratification can have ripple effects in other areas of life. But he also makes it clear that while change is possible, it is the desire of the individual that makes a difference.