Marshmallow Killed the Cat
Did curiosity kill the cat? No. A marshmallow killed the cat.
The Tragic Story of Tom the Cat
Once upon a time, there lived a cat named Tom. It was told by his owner that he was never ever to eat a marshmallow that had been put in the center of the dining table in the home. But one day when the owner was away, Tom grew very hungry and wanted to eat something. He was wise enough not to eat the marshmallow.
Out of impulse he ate the marshmallow and died. That was the tragic end to lovely Tom.
Moral of the story? It is impulse, not curiosity, that killed our cat.
The Marshmallow Test
Scientists have carried out a marshmallow test of their own. They bring young children into a room and give them the choice: You can have a marshmallow now or if you wait until I return, you can have two.
Many kids fails this test. Why? Kids are impulsive. So are many adults. And impulse is the root of many, many poor decisions. Poor planning (or no planning) leads to poor results. In the example above, Tom the cat did not think long-term. It is this short-term thinking that brings out disastrous consequences in the long-run.
How it Works
Pre-frontal cortex is the part of our brain that enables us to think long-term. It is exactly what cats (and all animal) don’t have but humans do. This makes humans so successful. We can thus succeed in marathons rather than running sprints.
Impulsive (and poorly conceived) behavior is the root of many evils. Children who are unable to manage their impulses and consequently get angry end up being impulsive adults. Serious health conditions such as diabetes type 1 (onset due to consumption of too much sugary foods and a lack of healthy eating habits, a perfect case of letting poor genes get the best of us) is one example of how impuslive behaivors can ruin our health.
The Science of Self-Control
Fortunately impulse and patience are behaviors that can be learned. In fact cutting edge research has shown that there is very little that is impossible to be learned if you don’t have the right genes. K Anders Ericsson in his book Peak asserted that all children are born with the potential to learn and appreciate perfect pitch (the key ingredient required to become Mozart) and as they grow older they lose this potential in most of the cases.
Thus, learning to control one’s impulses and putting in the hours today so that you can reap a nice harvest (read “promotion”, “good grades”, “dream school”, “happier relationship”) tomorrow.
One of the most scientifically proven techniques to improve self-control (and improve impulsive behavior) is meditation and mindfulness. A simple breath-focused meditation can over the long run make one less impulsive and lead to manageable mood. Mindfulness training (to make yourself aware of how your body feels under certain conditions) can help children and adult perform better in everyday situations.
Moral of this Story
Our cats cannot meditate. They will surely do stupid (adorable!) things. They can’t meditate (or think at human level).
That’s why humans keep cats and not the other way around.
Tom shall surely be remembered and dearly missed. But Tom is gone thanks to his impulsive behaivor.
© S.K. Barlaas
