I have been thinking about the marshmallow test and whether there was an equivalent that could be done in 2014 and I think there is. The protocol is simple, take an adult, lock them in a room with their smartphone and access to their Facebook account and see if they can resist taking a photograph of themselves and posting it to Facebook for 15 minutes. My prediction is that the inability to resist taking a photograph of yourself is an indicator of the trajectory of the rest of your life.
Would this nouveau Chris Tate marshmallow test be done with or without clothes on?
Hi Chris,
Certainly, the “Selfie Test” is a 21st century equivalent to Marshmallows for 10 year olds (with whom I spent the weekend). During my time working in Korea working for international companies – I got tired of the interruptions day-and-night (then with only a fixed car phone). I also developed my personal irritation when checking in and out of hotels where staff consider it more important to answer the ringing phone than finish their conversation with the guest. So, I trained myself to have no discomfort listening to a ringing phone next to me – at home, in the office or in the car. It was interesting to see people around me become increasingly uncomfortable when I continued the conversation or meeting with them. Now with mobiles people have developed to a “higher” plane – not only do they need to answer the ringing phone – but they become uncomfortable when it does not ring for some time during a day! Interestingly, to relieve their stress it is transferred back that not answering the phone a demonstration of “insane” and “illogical behavior”! Listening to Noise has become an important aspect of normal social behaviour!
Kind regards,
John