The marshmallow, a white, cottony, sweet confection is synonymous with “temptation” in the US. This all began 50 years ago when psychologist Walter Mischel sat 5-year-old children down at a table and gave them a simple choice: they could eat one marshmallow now or, if they wait, receive two marshmallows later.
棉花糖——這種白色、松軟的甜食——在美國卻是“誘惑”的同義詞。這一切源于50年前心理學家沃爾特•米歇爾的一個實驗，他讓一些5歲小孩子做出選擇：是立刻吃掉一塊棉花糖，還是等一會兒，然后得到兩塊棉花糖。
Mischel and his colleagues at Stanford wanted to understand the nature of self-control. If children could refrain from eating the marshmallow over a set period of time, they were told they’d receive two as reward. If they couldn’t resist temptation, they wouldn’t get the second treat.
米歇爾和自己斯坦福的同事這么做，只為了解自控的本質。如果孩子們能夠忍一會兒不吃第一個棉花糖，那么他們就能額外得到一個棉花糖作為獎勵。如果他們不能抵御誘惑，則不會獲得獎勵。
The Marshmallow Test became famous due to a remarkable discovery made some years later. Those children who were able to resist temptation for the reward of two marshmallows grew into adults who were more successful in school, work and relationships. They were also thinner, calmer, more sociable, better at managing their money, and less likely to be addicted to any substances.
棉花糖實驗因為數年后的神奇發現而名聲大噪：當年實驗中那些抵御誘惑獲得兩塊棉花糖的孩子長大成人后，在學校、工作以及感情中都更為成功；他們也更加苗條，更加冷靜，更善于社交，精于理財，不會沉迷于某物而不能自拔。
It seems having the capacity to wait for two marshmallows is quite important. In the US, there are “Don’t Eat the Marshmallow!” T-shirts, and investment companies have used the marshmallow test to encourage retirement planning, according to The Atlantic.
這樣看來，“能夠等得了兩塊棉花”是一種十分重要的品質。據《大西洋月刊》報道，在美國，不僅可以看見印著“不要吃棉花糖！”的T恤，還有投資公司利用這一實驗推行其退休計劃。
Many people have interpreted the results of the Marshmallow Test to mean fate is predetermined by one’s biology. But Mischel has just published a new book — The Marshmallow Test: Mastering Self-Control — which claims the true meaning of the experiments is just the opposite.
很多人將棉花糖實驗的結果看做是基因決定命運的明證。但是米歇爾卻在自己的新書《棉花糖實驗：學會自我控制》中稱，這項實驗的真正意義卻恰恰相反。
Learning restraint
學會克制
“The most important thing we learned is that self-control — the ability to regulate one’s own emotions — involves a set of skills that can be taught, and learned,” Mischel told journalism website Vox.com. “They’re acquirable. Nothing is predetermined.”
米歇爾在接受美國一家新聞網站的采訪時說，“我們最重要的發現是關于自控——這個人們控制自我感情的能力，其實是可以被教導和學習的。這些都可在后天獲得，沒有什么是命定的。”
What’s more, he says, these experiments provide concrete lessons about self-control we can use as adults. Grown-ups can use these methods to quit smoking, or stick to a diet, or save money.
此外他還說，這些實驗還為成年人如何自控提供了具體的指導。成年人可以用這些方法戒煙、控制飲食或是省錢。
Mischel and other psychologists argue that the battle between instant gratification (one marshmallow now) and long-term gratification (two marshmallows later) is really a battle between two different systems in the brain. “There’s the more primitive brain, which responds immediately and emotionally,” Mischel says. “Then other parts of the brain, concentrated in the prefrontal cortex, allow us to do things like control our attention, and think about the future, and delay gratification.”
米歇爾和其他心理學家都認為，即時滿足（立刻得到一塊棉花糖）與長期滿足（過一會兒得到兩塊棉花糖）間的“斗爭”事實上是大腦中兩套系統間的“斗爭”：大腦中更原始的部分會反應迅速，更加感性；而大腦中還有一些部分（主要集中在額前葉皮層）則讓我們得以控制注意力，思考未來，延遲滿足感。”
In the book, Mischel likens the impulse-driven system to “hot” thinking, and the slower, more rationally-driven executive function to “cool” thinking. The secret of self-control, he says, is to train the prefrontal cortex to kick in first.
在書中，米歇爾將基于沖動的系統比作“熱”思考，而將更緩慢、更理智的系統比作“冷”思考。而自控的秘訣，正是訓練大腦讓額前葉皮層能夠首先做出反應。
Various experiments have also shown that exposure to the sight, smell, or taste of a temptation activates the “hot” thinking that makes us most likely to give in to it. So, if you’re trying to lose weight, surrounding yourself with food and snacks will inevitably drain your willpower and make you more likely to eat a lot.
很多實驗也證明，視覺、嗅覺、味覺的誘惑會激活我們的“熱”思考，讓我們難抵誘惑。比方說，你正在減肥，那么如果你周圍有很多食物和小吃無疑將會消耗你的意志力，更容易讓你吃多。