In the 1960s, Stanford University psychology researcher Walter Mischel conducted a study. Mischel placed marshmallows in front of 4-year-old children. He told them they could have one marshmallow now, or if they waited several minutes, they could have two. Then Mischel left for about 20 minutes. Some children quickly grabbed a marshmallow and devoured it. Other children chose to wait and adhere to Michel’s directions.

Mischel continued his research and followed these children for 14 years. The children that immediately grabbed the marshmallows, or gave into the pull of instant gratification, ended up having lower self-esteem, got frustrated easily, had more havoc in their personal lives and earned less than their patient peers. The kids that waited and stared longingly at the marshmallows scored about 210 points higher on their SATs, were more socially competent, assertive and dependable.

So why should you care about children eating marshmallows? One of the great predictors of success in life is a person’s emotional intelligence or EQ. The children who did not eat their marshmallows displayed two key traits found in people with high emotional intelligence: delayed gratification and impulse control.