Quote:Five decades or so ago, Dr. Walter Mischel, a psychologist and professor at Stanford University, conducted what came to be known as the Stanford Marshmallow Experiment. According to the Positive Psychology Program website “Mischel and his colleagues wanted to see if preschool children (around four-years-old) had developed the mental capacity to resist the temptation of a small reward to earn a larger reward later. They presented each of the 653 subjects with a choice: ring a bell and get one marshmallow immediately or wait fifteen minutes and earn two.

“While a minority of them instantly opted for a single marshmallow, most children attempted to hold on, for varying times, to get their reward. In the end, only about thirty percent were able to delay gratification for the full fifteen-minute period earning their second marshmallow.”

Following up on his experiment years later, Mischel found that the children who waited for two marshmallows turned out to be more successful as teenagers and as adults. They earned much higher SAT scores, developed superior social and emotional coping skills and were even less likely to abuse drugs.

The lesson is therefore clear; the habit of delaying gratification is a good one to strive to develop. Indulging in an immediate pleasure can be tempting, but is it worth giving in if you stand to gain even greater satisfaction in the end?

In Brisbane, during the first Ashes Test, two batsmen reaped the rewards for delaying gratification. In England’s first innings, James Vince compiled an attractive 82. Well known as a batsman of polish, the 26-year-old had a rather miserable seven-test run in the summer of 2016, averaging a paltry 19.27. His main vulnerability, everyone saw, was his frequent dalliances outside off-stump. He had a marked fondness for the off-drive. And while they were exquisite when they came off, too often they resulted in catches to the wicketkeeper and to the slip cordon.

In Brisbane, however, Vince made telling adjustments to his game. Against Australia’s highly acclaimed pace attack, the Hampshire batsman was much more circumspect, showing little interest in deliveries not threatening his stumps, and attempting fewer drives. Whenever he did attempt the drive, he made sure the deliveries were well up, minimizing risk by eliminating the need to reach too far away from his body. According to website Cricviz, “Vince’s false shot percentage (shots edged or missed) when driving against pace fell from 32% in his firsts seven Tests to 16% at The Gabba,” a significant reduction.