Rethink: One simple way to earn people’s trust
Earning trust, breaking promises and why life is one big Marshmallow Experiment
Dear Rethinkers,
Do you trust people in charge to keep their promises?
Many of you will have heard of the famous Marshmallow Experiment led by renowned psychologist Walter Mischel almost 50 years ago. The image is iconic. A kid around four or five years old sits at a table staring down at a single marshmallow. The researcher explains they are going to leave the room, but before they do so, the child is offered a sweet deal; if they don’t eat the marshmallow in their absence, they get two. They are left alone in the room for 15 minutes, a long time for any pre-schooler.
I love observing the video footage of the children waiting alone and the distraction tactics they use. Some kids sing a song to themselves or simply cover their eyes. Others sniff, poke, or pretend to eat the marshmallow. My favourite are the ones who get creative and transform it into something like a white, fluffy cloud! Others eat the marshmallow the moment the researcher closes the door.
Willpower or trust?
For decades, the experiment was highly regarded as a test of delayed gratification and a diagnostic of self-control. The children who could wait and resist the throbbing pull of the white, sticky, sweet blob were said to have more willpower. The Marshmallow Test was said to reveal how successfully the child would perform in all aspects of life – from school grades to relationships to fitness. (You can see follow-up studies here and here.) However, there was a key ingredient often missing in the interpretations of the experiment: trust.
This brings us to an interesting question: How much trust in an authority figure enables more delayed gratification? And how much does our experience with promises, whether kept or broken, shape our willpower?
Read on to find out more about the link between high social trust and willpower – and why it’s vital for people in charge to keep their promises.
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