The Marshmallow Test provides interesting anecdotes related to self control and the disastrous effects of lacking it. The main theme is how childrens' self control, evaluated through taking the marshmallow test- forgoing eating one marshmallow for a later reward of two marshmallows- manifests throughout later life.

The problem I have with this book is that the conclusions do not seem convincing, the author constantly qualifies his assessments by saying of course there are cases that do not follow the norm. It also does not get to the root of self-control, it instead assumes the outcome of one test as the baseline. It similarly does not explain the basis of the hot and cool systems, but just takes for granted their fundamentality.

A positive aspect of the book is the conclusion that self control is not innate and can be effectively improved and cultivated throughout one's life. It also shows the enormous and varied ways self control affects one's life. Lastly, It is interesting because it covers a variety of psychological tests that anybody can relate to.

Even if it is not groundbreaking, it is still worth the time to read.

Really liked the book and was nice how they followed the test subjects from childhood through adulthood, while also providing meaningful advice on how to better my own, and my kids', self-control. Does get a wee bit repetitive over the course of the book with many of the test cases being very similar, but it continues to be educational and entertaining. It's also technical enough without being too clinical in nature. I really liked it and would recommend to anyone trying to teach self control to their children, or even learn a bit themselves.

There is some extremely useful information in this book for parents, including practical advice for how to deal with toddlers who bite, but I'm only giving the book four stars because it drags a bit (especially in the middle), uses a lot of scientific wording, and doesn't provide as many concrete examples as I'd like. Still, worth the read for any parent, although you may want to skip to the last section and then go back to read the more detailed case studies as you have time. Does that advice mean I am encouraging you to fail on the marshmallow experiment?

He goes into details about the marshmallow test and related tests. Then he gives advice on how to work on our own self control. If I were to come up with one complaint, it would be that the books could be about 15% shorter without losing much.

Although Dr. Mischel is certainly not the first to write a an accessible book based on his renowned "marshmallow studies" (many others have), as the originator of the ground-breaking research, he does a uniquely masterful job of illustrating the nuances of---exactly what is not at all obvious about---human self-control mechanisms that have been discovered in decades of his own and related work. Those reviewers who have dismissed this book as presenting scientific studies and their implications that we've all heard of before completely miss the mark. Dr. Mischel's work is in fact so important and relevant in so many ways that his early delay of gratification studies have permeated popular culture. What is presented here is all that has come and what remains to be done to realize the full benefit of that work with respect to our own ability to master self-control.