Preschoolers' delay of gratification predicts their body mass 30 years later.
Level 3 - non-randomized controlled study
Prospective longitudinal cohort follow-up study.
PubMed 22906511 · doi:10.1016/j.jpeds.2012.06.049
What was done
In the late 1960s and early 1970s, 4-year-old children attending a university-affiliated preschool completed the classic delay of gratification task. A subset of these participants (n = 164; 57% women) was followed up approximately 30 years later and provided self-reported height and weight. Researchers used hierarchical regression to evaluate whether childhood delay time predicted adult body mass index (BMI) after accounting for sex.
What was found
Delay of gratification performance accounted for 4% of the variance in adult BMI (P < .01) beyond the 13% accounted for by sex alone. Each additional minute of delayed gratification at age 4 predicted a 0.2-point reduction in BMI 30 years later.
Why it matters
This study provides longitudinal evidence linking early childhood self-regulation and delayed gratification capabilities to physical health markers in mid-adulthood.
Limits
The study is correlational, meaning it cannot establish causality. Adult BMI was calculated from self-reported height and weight rather than objective physical measurements. The sample was drawn from a single university-affiliated preschool cohort with substantial attrition over 30 years, limiting generalizability to broader socio-economic populations.
Cited by
- partial Longitudinal follow-ups of Walter Mischel's marshmallow test found that longer delay times in children correlated with higher academic achievement, higher income, better health, and lower rates of incarceration and behavioral problems.