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The Marshmallow Test

Mastering Self-Control

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The Marshmallow Test

By: Walter Mischel
Narrated by: Alan Alda
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About this listen

Renowned psychologist Walter Mischel, designer of the famous Marshmallow Test, explains what self-control is and how to master it.

A child is presented with a marshmallow and given a choice: Eat this one now, or wait and enjoy two later. What will she do? And what are the implications for her behavior later in life?

The world's leading expert on self-control, Walter Mischel has proven that the ability to delay gratification is critical for a successful life, predicting higher SAT scores, better social and cognitive functioning, a healthier lifestyle and a greater sense of self-worth. But is willpower prewired, or can it be taught?

In The Marshmallow Test, Mischel explains how self-control can be mastered and applied to challenges in everyday life - from weight control to quitting smoking, overcoming heartbreak, making major decisions, and planning for retirement. With profound implications for the choices we make in parenting, education, public policy and self-care, The Marshmallow Test will change the way you think about who we are and what we can be.

©2014 Walter Mischel (P)2014 Brilliance Audio, all rights reserved. Excerpts from David G. Myers, “Self-Serving Bias,” in This Will Make You Smarter: New Scientific Concepts to Improve Your Thinking edited by John Brockman (New York: Doubleday, 2012), 37–38. Used with permission. Quotes from George Ramirez are printed with permission. Excerpts from Sesame Street script for episode 4412 are reprinted with permission. “Sesame Workshop”®, “Sesame Street”®, and associated characters, trademarks, and design elements are owned and licensed by Sesame Workshop. © 2014 Sesame Workshop. All Rights Reserved. Child Psychology Developmental Psychology Psychology Psychology & Mental Health Science Inspiring Mental Health Feel-Good Heartfelt Self-Discipline Self Control

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Editor reviews

Self-control is a vital skill and in his latest audiobook The Marshmallow Test, world-renown American psychologist and author Walter Mischel, describes exactly how to master it. With an expert narration by award-winning American actor Alan Alda, listeners are taken through the background of why people lack self-control and come to a deeper understanding of just how important it is for a healthy, balanced life. Hear the steps of how to gain this essential skill and apply it to any area of your life – from curing your bad habits to achieving your goals without distraction. Available now from Audible.
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Great in depth studies Regards self control and self awareness. Great read for anyone who wants better control of their life and how they react to situations.

Fantastic book

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I really liked this book. I have read "Thinking Fast and Slow" by Daniel Kahneman and, yes, there are some overlaps with The Marshmallow Test. Kahneman's System 1 and System 2 become the Hot System and the Cold System in Mischel's analysis but that isn't such a bad thing as I found Hot and Cold easier to relate to. I love Alan Alda and his voice is just perfect for this. I found that if you turn up the speed to x1.25 or even 1.5x he sound even more Hawkeye-ish. The key message from this book is (spoiler alert here) that exerting self control to delay gratification is ultimately more rewarding, however there is no benefit in delaying so long that you do not experience any reward. Which reminds me, where did I leave that egg custard?

Great book expertly narrated by Alan Alda

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The fascinating subject of this book is let down by poor idea development and could be summed up in a few pages rather than a whole book

Disappointing

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Couldn't stop listening! I found myself taking longer walks to get through a chapter before I got home. Enlightening research and excellent narration.

For those interested in the the working of the bra

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beautifully read and interesting. thought provoking and no excuses for not making changes to the way we all live.

beautifully read and interesting

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performance wise, nothing to complain about. the content is science based and backed by experiments, although nothing revolutionary; it seems like the whole book's premise is reiterated and repeated over and over again.

nothing revolutionary nor new, still a decent read

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Hard to concentrate on because it's very monotonous and every sentence spoken is quite long winded. Interesting, but hard work to listen to

Difficult to listen to

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If you are interested in the marshmallow test, this is the book for you.
Lots of insightful ideas.

Very informative

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Books like this are worthwhile of keeping around. The writing is concise and accessible, the narration is good and the information, in my opinion, of great utility. If applied and practiced through the pains of trial and error, I suspect this could could plenty of people out to achieve their hopes and dreams.

Useful

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this is life changing... knowing the principles in this book can make the difference between you having hope vs feeling worthless. it could literally make the difference between life n death. knowing you are in charge from a very early age can change your entire perception of life! bet u didn't expect this comment ha? read the book...

can't believe how important this is

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