The Secret of Self-control

I lost interested about 1/3 of the way through the article. I remember reading somewhere that long forms (5000+ word articles,which this particular one is, or 2hr videos) just don't work so well on the Internet: either it's something intrinsic to the Internet as a medium or we are being trained to having short attention spans. Just as I was giving up on the article (and came to HN for a summary), I realized that this is precisely what the article was talking about: not having the patience/stamina for delayed gratification, presumably will come about as one ploughes through the entire article.<p>My takeaway from the article: 1. delayed gratification is important to success. but even if you aren't good at it, you can hack it, by understanding your thought process. 2. there might be a place for long form journalism like at the New Yorker, but it's probably going to be a small niche.

Previously: <a href="http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=603364" rel="nofollow">http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=603364</a>

Thanks for linking to this. RadioLab has an episode covering the same Walter Mischel study, among other things:<p><a href="http://www.radiolab.org/blogs/radiolab-blog/2009/mar/09/mischels-marshmallows/" rel="nofollow">http://www.radiolab.org/blogs/radiolab-blog/2009/mar/09/misc...</a>

Very interesting article, and indeed, a meta experiment in itself in the context of it being a New Yorker piece (traditionally long form) in the today's popular "gotta-have-it-this-instant gist" CNN blurb format.<p>Mischel's focus on context would probably explain why I had no problems finishing this article -- I am a father of two young children that is interested in their development and well-being. If you were to present me with this article in the past, I'd probably be in the same boat as /fhe/ and bail 33% of the way through.<p>So, HN experiment to those that have bailed part way through the NY article (and possibly most other long-form pieces): Assume that it IS worth reading this entire article, because it's not just about the marshmallow experiment at childhood, but has useful context to YOU as an adult that could positively affect your life and those around you forever. (carrot) In that context, is it enough for you to switch from the short-delay satisfaction of a "profound" Twitter quotation, to the long-delay satisfaction of reading through an entire thought-provoking and well crafted New Yorker long-form article?

Thanks for posting this. I've heard about this study but never knew the details. I definitely think self-control/the ability to delay gratification is one of the keys to success in any challenging endeavor, whether it's elite sports or building a company. You have to have the ability to keep going when it really hurts rather than opt for the easier, more immediately gratifying path of giving up.

Isn't that an 'egg and chicken' type of problem? You can, after all, learn self-control / to defer gratification.

tl;dr version?

what about people following orders rather than waiting?

Fantastic in a thousand ways.