In this article I am going to talk about what I have considered, due to my experiences in psychotherapy, the most decisive skill in terms of conditioning a person’s quality of life and its enjoyment. We could say that it is the most descriptive skill of the trait popularly known as “maturity”.
And what is that ability? I tell you. Is the ability to delay an immediate reward or reward in favor of a larger, long-term reward
Below I will tell you about some experiments and other real situations in which this capacity is key, and how in many cases it determines the quality of a person’s decisions throughout their life. Let’s understand “good decisions” as those actions that are most adaptive and functional, according to the context. We don’t talk about wealth, for example.
In the 1960s, a renowned Stanford University psychologist named Walter Mischel coordinated a series of experiments with the aim of studying the ability delaying instant gratification in children, in favor of a larger reward later
It is very possible that you have ever seen a video related to that experiment, as they are very popular. Basically, children participated in the experiments, who were left alone for 15 minutes in a room (monitored with a hidden camera) with some sweets in front of them.
Before leaving the room and leaving the child alone with the candy, the adult explained to the child that if he did not eat the candy (immediate reward), he would receive even more when the adult returned to the room (greater reward delayed over time). . The decision that ends up bringing more candy to the child in the long run could be considered smarter.
These experiments were very popular at the time, but they did not achieve the expected success in terms of scientific conclusions. Mischel and his collaborators attempted to demonstrate the correlation between the tendency to delay gratification with success in other aspects of adult life
However, they failed to demonstrate their conclusions in subsequent replications of the experiments, since other factors such as the socioeconomic status of the family, etc. were not taken into account.
Implications of this ability in psychological problems
Although the experiments with children failed to demonstrate the correlations they intended, it cannot be denied that it is a determining skill in adult life.
In the therapeutic context, many situations are observed in which The ability to focus on long-term rewards is vital to a person’s mental health throughout their life
In the field of addictions, it is practically the paradigm. One of the key elements of any addiction is the person’s inability to give up consumption (or addictive activity) in pursuit of long-term rewards.
Basically, The pleasurable effects that the drug or addictive activity provides to the person overshadow the rest of the activities (time with family, exercising, work life, etc.).
Among many other aspects, therapy works to help the person recover their ability to block instant gratifications (drugs) based on a greater but later good (physical and mental health).
It also occurs in the management of other more daily objectives, such as following a diet or establishing healthier habits in our lives Knowing how to say no to a chocolate muffin in pursuit of a long-term goal (ideal weight, an aesthetic or sporting goal, etc.).
Many more examples can be found to explain the poor adherence of some people to safer and healthier habits, such as throwing plastics in the assigned containers, eating healthy, quitting smoking, etc.
The biggest obstacle in the face of the threat of the pandemic
We all witnessed recent examples. During the first months of the COVID-19 pandemic, some people ignored health recommendations, through which they could save lives around them and safeguard the safety of the entire population
In this example, some people were unaware of the long-term reward (individual and collective health) for their inability to give up immediate pleasures such as going to a nightclub, celebrating the promotion of a soccer team, going to the square on St. Juan, or concentrating many people in the same space.
Some very immature people simply couldn’t leave those things until after the pandemic. “I want the candy now, not later. I’m not willing to wait, even though I know I’ll get more candy later. I want it now”.
Each person must put things on a scale, and make decisions every day The ability to not be “blinded” by immediate pleasures is vital to make better decisions, according to the context and circumstances, according to the real needs of the individual and society.
Psychologist in Valencia (or online therapy)
If you experience any type of psychological problem, I can help you. You will find my contact information on this page, or on my website luismiguelreal.es.
