Here Is the Reason Your Brain Prefers Quick Payoffs to Long Term Ones
The costs of your good habits are in the present. The costs of your bad habits are in the future.
The year was 1972.
56 Pre-schoolers at Stanford University were recruited and placed in a room.
Group one was shown two treats (a marshmallow and a pretzel) and asked to choose their favorite.
They were allowed to alert for the experimenter to come back at any time, but were told that if they did, they’d only get the treat they hadn’t chosen as their favorite.
Both treats were left in plain view in the room.
The researchers found that preschoolers waiting 15 minutes to receive their preferred treat (a pretzel or a marshmallow) waited much less time when either treat was within sight, than when neither treat was in view.
The cue was visible enough to trigger anticipation and craving which was overpowering.
The students preferred to eat the treat now than wait for another agonizing 15 minutes.
We value quick payoffs over long-term ones
The present holds more weight for us than the distant future.
