In the late '60s, Stanford psychologist Walter Mischel performed a now-iconic experiment called the Marshmallow Test, which analyzed the ability of four year olds to exhibit "delayed gratification." Here's what happened: Each child was brought into the room and sat down at a table with a delicious treat on it (maybe a marshmallow, maybe a donut). The scientists told the children that they could have a treat now, or, if they waited 15 minutes, they could have two treats.
All of the children wanted to wait, but many couldn't. After just a few minutes or less, their resolve would break down and they would eat the marshmallow. But some kids were better at delaying gratification: They were able to hold out for the full 15 minutes.
When the researchers subsequently checked in on these same children in high school, it turned out that those with more self-control that is, those who held out for 15 minutes were better behaved, less prone to addiction, and scored higher.
Today its Twitter or Facebook that is the new marshmallow. At any given moment, a host of such "treats" await us. Emails, social media messages, text messages discrete little bits of unexpected and novel information that activate our brain's seeking circuitry and provoke the desire to search for more.