Pattern that harms health by "Marshmallow · Test" measuring self-control level

ByMaryam Abdulghaffar

The fact that children with self-discipline who can temporarily suppress desire are more likely to have social success in the future than children who do not have self-control is "Marshmallow Experiment (Marshmallow · Test)"It is clarified by a famous research as"Marshmallow test: child who does not succeedIt is used as an educational method like ". But on the other handSelf-controlThere is no doubt that it is a shortcut to social success, but studies that there is a danger of harming health are being researched.

Self-control forecasts better psychosocial outcomes but faster epigenetic aging in low-SES youth
http://www.pnas.org/content/112/33/10325.abstract

No good deed goes unpunished | The Economist
http://www.economist.com/news/science-and-technology/21657768-self-control-improves-your-prospects-it-may-harm-your-health-no-good-deed

◆ Marshmallow · Test
Marshmallow test is an experiment that Dr. Walter Michelle of Stanford University did in the 1960s. Dr. Michelle invited 4 year old children to a room with nothing, placed one delicious marshmallow in front of us and ordered to wait in peace. At that time, "I will give you this marshmallow, if you can endure eating for 15 minutes before I come back, when I return I will give another marshmallow, if I eat it, I will have two I have no eyes "and left the room.

Although I would like to eat marshmallows in front of my eyes, "I want to have another marshmallow with patience!" "But I want to eat now ..." Children resist while resisting, but as a result It seems that about one-third of children who did not put hands on marshmallows until the end.

ByKate Ter Haar

After that, Dr. Michelle pursued two control groups of children who were unable to stand and another child who got marshmallows with patience, the group of children who were able to endure at school then There are relatively many people who are rated "excellent"College Preparatory Examination (SAT)It was found that the average of 210 points was high. In addition, it was found that this patience of strength, the strength of self-control, continues throughout the life, and it has turned out to be a major contributor to the future social success.

◆ Self control and aging phenomenon
Suppressing your desires is called "self-control" and you know that you can be trained by training. From the results of the marshmallow test, it seems that there are many parents who take self-control training in parenting as they hope that they want success in their life by recognizing the importance of self-control.

In 2014, Dr. Gene Brody of Georgia University published an interesting experimental result on the marshmallow test, as it is recognized that the results of the marshmallow test are unwavering. The research result is that "raising self-control ability through training is certainly easy to lead to social success, but at the same time there is a risk of cell aging earlier and risking health harm".


Dr. Brody examined the self-control ability of about 300 African American 17 year old students. As indicators to measure the height of self-control ability, students' positive attitude towards volunteer activities, ups and downs of emotions, aggression, presence of drug use, etc. are adopted.

At the same time Dr. Brodie collected the blood when the students grew and became 22 years oldDNA methylationBy measuring the extent of it, we investigated whether the cell is young or aged compared to the age. Then, the students who were relatively rich and had a good family environment found that the higher the self-control ability, that is, the stronger the self-control, the younger the cells are. However, students in a poorly living family environment, on the other hand, seems to have revealed a surprising trend that the higher the self-control ability, that is, the stronger the self-control, the more aged the cells are.


If Dr. Brody's experimental results are correct, there is a possibility that a poorly born person will lose health in exchange for having to succeed by striving to acquire self-discipline by working hard. This result seems to be said to be cruel as compared with being able to become healthier by social success by cultivating self-control in the case of a richly born person.

Regarding the experimental result of Dr. Brodie, the causal relationship between each of the born environment, self-control ability, and cell aging status is not clear yet, the number of samples themselves in the experiment itself is small, and the research itself has just started and is deterministic Although it can not say, it may not be simply to grasp the research result of the marshmallow test as "it is good to be inhibitive to succeed".