Next time you want to give your kid a Rolo, think twice. You could be either teaching your kid to become a criminal or a CEO.
There's research to back this up.
In the 1970s, psychologist Walter Mischel examined preschoolers' ability to delay gratification. Those who could wait longer before eating marshmallows became more popular, well-adjusted teenagers who scored higher on their SATs -- and were more likely to become CEOs.
According to psychologist Dr. Susan Albers: "In general, the amount of time a child could wait for a marshmallow was indicative of their ability to deal with stress and frustration. Kids who can wait longer periods of time are CEOs and doctors in the making. One must be able to tolerate high levels of stress and years of effort before obtaining a payoff."
On the flip side, kids who consume more sweets are more likely to be social deviants.
In a separate 2009 study, Simon Moore of Cardiff University evaluated a British Cohort Study, which tracked the behaviors of 17,000 people from childhood through adulthood. He found that 69% of people who had been convicted of a crime by age 34 reported eating candy almost every day as a child.
