Waiting for the Right Wave: - PowerPoint Presentation

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Waiting for the Right Wave: The Delay of Gratification

Georgann

Zachary Willis, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor of Psychology Umpqua Community CollegeSlide2

Stanford Marshmallow Experiment

Walter

Mischel’s

late 60s/early 70s studies using Bing Nursery School children (4-6 yrs old)

Presented children with a choice of one small, visible reward immediately or two small rewards if they waited for a short period (15 minutes) a visible treat was placed on a plate in front of them and they were left alone in the room

If they delayed gratification by not eating the treat, they get two treats when the researcher returnsSlide3

Http://youtu.be/QX_oy9614HQSlide4

Benefits of Delaying Gratification

Longitudinal studies revealed children who were able to

wait longer for preferred rewards tended to have more

positive life outcomes

Better academic performance

Earn and save more money

Better physical health and greater happiness

Less likely to go to jail

Less likely to be overweight/obese

Less likely to use drugsSlide5

SES and Delay of Gratification

Mischel

originated his idea while studying different groups in Trinidad where he found the lower SES group were less likely to delay gratification

While delay of gratification has often been described as a “middle class value” it most likely comes down to the stability and reliability of the environment a child experiences growing up

When people are unreliable and having enough resources is not guaranteed a mental script developed that the best course of action is to live for today and use it before it gets taken awaySlide6

SES and Delay of Gratification

Mental scripts developed early in life are hard to break, even if the environment changes

78 out of 100 NFL players are bankrupt within three years of retirement

60 out of 100 NBA players go completely broke within five year of retirement

Winning the lottery if you are low SES doubles your chances of bankruptcy

High levels of personal debt and bankruptcy in middle SES are driving a reconsideration of hypothesized middle class delay of gratificationSlide7

Learning Self-Control

Self-control is the ability to control emotions and behavior to limit our impulses

One of the most replicated findings is that self-control is finite, we only have a limited amount and it gets depleted as we use it

The strategy then is to increase the amount of resources we have to draw on to exert self-controlSlide8

Learn How to Manage Your Stress

Being under stress uses up our stored energy and make us choose short-term outcomes over long term goalsSlide9

Change Your Perception

Cool the hot aspects of your environment (remove emotion from it)

Change “I can’t” to “I don’t”

“I can’t” limits you and reminds you that you are being forced

“I don’t” is a self-affirmation which shows you are in control of the situation and making an active choice to stick to your planSlide10

Get Enough Sleep

Lack of sleep creates a chronic stress that impairs the body and the brain, this leaves the prefrontal cortex impaired

Noted sleep researcher Daniel

Kripke

found people who sleep between 6.5 and 7.5 hours a night live the longest, are happier and most productive

Women tend to need a bit more sleep than men (20 minutes on average)Slide11

Learn to Meditate

As little as 8 weeks of brief daily meditation will improve attention, increase focus, lower stress and increase self-awarenessSlide12

Better Exercise and Nutrition

Your brain may only be 3% of your body weight but it needs 20% of your oxygen and glucose to run it efficiently

Exercise increases blood flow and oxygen to the brain

Both mindful, relaxing exercise such as yoga and intense physical training provides benefits

A healthy diet increases energy levels which allow the brain to work more efficientlySlide13

Not Now, But Later

We are less tormented by temptation when we eventually receive a reward

This also helps to cool our hot environment, we are not victims who “can’t” but people who “can, but not right now”Slide14