Quote · Modern Wisdom
Matt McCusker, Andrew Huberman & Tom Segura - Mostly Wise #1 - #1102
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Does the Marshmallow Test Hold Up?
At 2:25:02 · chapter starts 2:22:27
In the original Stanford marshmallow test, no child waited the full 15 minutes — a fact that never gets mentioned. Yet how long kids waited before eating still predicted better life outcomes. The finding does hold up under replication, and self-control can be built — but the common telling strips out important nuance.
The original Stanford marshmallow test data, as relayed by Huberman, shows that no child actually waited the full 15 minutes — yet how long they waited still predicted life outcomes.
Randy Gardner, a 17-year-old California student, stayed awake for 11 days and 25 minutes (264 hours) as a 1964 science fair experiment and reportedly recovered well with no obvious long-term damage.
UV light is the enemy, but long-wavelength infrared and red light from the sun are critical for mitochondrial health and can even penetrate clothing. Use zinc oxide–only mineral sunscreen to block UV while preserving infrared benefits, avoid burning, and get natural sunlight especially in early morning and late afternoon when the UV index is low.
