A famous study on children measured the level of emotional maturity when it came to delayed gratification, and then followed those children throughout their lives. They found that those children who were able to delay gratification wound up being more successful than their peers. The researchers attributed this delayed gratification to a heightened emotional maturity that served them well later in life.
The way the test worked was thus: children met a researcher in a room, one at a time. A single marshmallow was placed in front of a child. The child was told that the researcher needed to go away for a little while but if the marshmallow was still there when he or she got back, then the child could have two marshmallows instead of one.
Delayed gratification is a big part of a frugal lifestyle. Making due with what you have, waiting on wants and sometimes even needs until the best deal comes along or until you can really afford it is something that many frugal people are familiar with.
It is so easy to live beyond your means these days. Credit card companies practically beg you for business, and it is not unheard of to have four or five credit cards (or more) that tempt you to buy whatever you want regardless of the consequences. The fact that frugally minded people, who watch their pennies, make their own meals at home, buy used items or find them for free, means that they generally don’t give in to the temptation of immediate gratification. Does this mean that they are more emotionally mature?
Think back to your own childhood. Would you have gobbled up the marshmallow or waited to be rewarded with a second one? Would your answer be any different today? Do you think there is a connection between delayed gratification and emotional maturity?
Click here for more articles by Mary Ann Romans.
Appreciating the Little Things
Recession Giving Birth to More Frugals
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