Dave5

… the “patient” kids weren’t demonstrat­ing “self-control” – rather, their willingness to wait for a second marshmallow reflected a charmed life in which adults came through with the goodies they promised. That same charmed life saw those subjects enrolled in the best schools, backstopped by tutors and college application consultants, significant parental financial contributions to excellent postsecondary education, and smooth entry into the job market.

In other words: Eating the marshmallow doesn’t doom you to a life of misery. The kids who ate the marshmallow were doomed when they arrived at the experimenter’s lab – which is why they ate the marshmallow.

https://locusmag.com/2024/09/cory-doctorow-marshmallow-longtermism/