At a Glance
- A new study found that promises from peers can significantly improve young children’s ability to delay gratification in a modified version of the classic marshmallow experiment.
- Researchers tested 5- to 6-year-olds who were more likely to wait for a better reward when an online partner explicitly promised to wait.
- Children in the promise condition delayed eating their treat longer than those whose partners expressed uncertainty, showing the motivational power of social commitment.
- The effect was powerful among younger children, highlighting how early sensitivity to promises may shape cooperative behavior and self-control.
- These findings suggest that even indirect social cues like promises can influence decision-making and promote patience in early childhood.
In a new study, psychologists have explored how promises can influence children’s ability to delay gratification during a modified version of the famous Stanford marshmallow experiment. Researchers from the University of Manchester and Mohammed VI Polytechnic University conducted the study online with 5- to 6-year-old children in the UK to understand if a partner’s promise to wait could increase a child’s willingness to delay eating a treat for a larger reward.
The children were shown a treat, such as a marshmallow, and told they could eat it immediately or wait and receive a better reward if they and an online partner did not eat their treats. The online partner, another child, either promised not to eat the treat (promise condition) or expressed uncertainty about whether they could wait (social risk condition). The children could not communicate directly with their partner, but could see each other’s reactions.
The results, published in Royal Society Open Science, showed that children in the promise condition were more likely to wait longer to eat their treat than those in the social risk condition. Interestingly, younger children were more successful at delaying gratification when their partner promised not to eat their treat. This finding suggests that explicit promises, even when the children could not interact with their partner, can motivate them to delay gratification.
The study expands on earlier research on delayed gratification, which has long been linked to better life outcomes. By adding a cooperative element to the task, the researchers show how the social environment, even through one-sided communication, can influence a child’s ability to resist immediate temptations for a larger reward later. This research sheds light on the importance of cooperation and promises in motivating behaviors like waiting for a better outcome.
References
- Yirka, B. & Phys.org. (2025, May 10). Revisiting a famous marshmallow experiment: Children more likely to delay gratification if peer promises to wait as well. Phys.Org; Phys.org. https://phys.org/news/2025-05-revisiting-famous-marshmallow-children-delay.html
- Koomen, R., Waddington, O., Goncalves, L. S. M., Köymen, B., & Jensen, K. (2025). Does promising facilitate children’s delay of gratification in interdependent contexts? Royal Society Open Science, 12(5), 250392. https://doi.org/10.1098/rsos.250392
