"Marshmallows Best Predictor of Success?"

Working with Emotional Intelligence
by Daniel Goleman

Dr. Goleman did an excellent job with his second book on Emotional Intelligence because he gives more detail on how to correct the lack of Emotional Intelligence in the business and professional world.

On page 26 he tells us how to do a check up on our missing competences for emotional intelligence( both personal and social competencies) and he also mentions that there must be a continious follow up on this program to achieve a lasting effect over the change of our un-wanted bad habits and he alos mentions the guidelines for emotional competence TRAINING which is very helpful in the seminars to train management executives.

Dr. Goleman explains also that it takes months to be able to modify our personality, so that some people will not dispair because they can not get an overnight change, it takes time, perseverance and practice to become a proficient and capable executive with good emotional intelligence. Dr. Goleman also explains the effect that stress has on CONTROL and how it affects mistakes, memory and health and overall management.

In other words Dr. Goleman is helping everybody to modify their personalities to be able to produce more with less stress and wear (or exhaustion).

Would like to be tested to determine your Temperament?

     

Marshmallows Best Predictor of Success?

Index of More Articles about Leadership

Articles about Leadership

EQ at the Office by Susan Dunn, Coach

Emotional intelligence means knowing how to get along. Playing too hard at the office is just as bad as refusing to play at all, studies show. Office politics is here to stay and how you play can influence...

The Leadership Effect by Ronen Cohen

Leadership qualities are the distinguishing personal characteristics of a leader such as intelligence, values and appearance. Leadership occurs among people, involves the use of influence, and is used...

How to Get Happiness by Susan Dunn, MA, Emotional Intelligence Coach

I'm a coach who works with clients on personal and professional development issues. While no client has ever specifically asked me to help them become "happier," I think it's the purpose, yes? Our goals,...

It's EQ, Not IQ, That Will Make You More by Joe Bingham

So much credit is given to those that are smart or have an intelligence for success. But what if I told you it was EQ, not IQ, that led to that success?Years ago, I read a biography on Nikola Tesla. While...

The Stanford Marshmallow Experiment

In above video you will see kids participating in the Stanford Marshmallow Experiment. The Stanford Marshmallow Experiment must be the most astounding psychological study ever performed, or at any rate ranking right up there with some of the experiments done by Stanley Milgram.

Who would ever guess that a brief observation of a four-year old alone with a marshmallow would be an excellent predictor of college entrance exam scores — twice as good a predictor as IQ test scores? In one of the most amazing developmental studies ever conducted, Walter Michel of Stanford created a simple test of the ability of four year old children to control impulses and delay gratification.

Children were taken one at a time into a room with a one-way mirror. They were shown a marshmallow. The experimenter told them he had to leave and that they could have the marshmallow right then, but if they waited for the experimenter to return from an errand, they could have two marshmallows. One marshmallow was left on a table in front of them. Some children grabbed the available marshmallow within seconds of the experimenter leaving. Others waited up to twenty minutes for the experimenter to return.

In a follow-up study (Shoda, Mischel, & Peake, 1990), children were tested at 18 years of age and comparisons were made between the third of the children who grabbed the marshmallow (the "impulsive") and the third who delayed gratification in order to receive the enhanced reward ("impulse controlled").

The third of the children who were most impulsive at four years of age scored an average of 524 verbal and 528 math. The impulse controlled students who scored 610 verbal and 652 math! This astounding 210 point total score difference on the SAT was predicted on the basis of a single observation at four years of age! The 210 point difference is as large as the average differences between that of economically advantaged versus disadvantaged children and is larger than the difference between children from families with graduate degrees versus children whose parents did not finish high school!

At four years of age gobbling a marshmallow now v. waiting for two later is twice as good a predictor of later SAT scores than is IQ. Poor impulse control is also a better predictor of later delinquency than is IQ.

Obviously there's a strong correlation between IQ and impulse control. People who do well in life have lots of both, and vice versa for those who don't do well.

Sociologists have regaled us for years with their theories as to the causes of poverty: lack of education, structural causes, racism. But it seems that, at least where opportunity exists, the reason for differences in income and wealth is that the poor have high impulsivity.

The Just Wait Teen Program

The teenagers of the Just Wait Teen™ program  are exposed to the information and research concerning their Happiness, their Temperaments, their Talents, their Attributes, their Gifts and how to maintain long term relationships. The Just Wait Teen™ program  is life enhancing program, not a substance rehabilitation program. Although its' objective is to give the teens tools and understandings to reach 21 years - substance free.

This Program was developed by the Just Wait Foundation a 501 (c)(3) nonprofit corporation to prevent drug, alcohol, and tobacco problems among teenagers. The Foundation provides one-year scholarships (two semesters) at a Community College or $1000 award to teens that completes the 4 year Just Wait Teen™ Positive Youth Development Program, obtains a GED, or graduates from high school - alcohol, tobacco, and drug free. The Just Wait Foundation has arranged to use of 80 acres to raise fruit and vegetables to finance the scholarships

We offer free training for any person or group that wants to start this program in their community.

Contact Us    Copyright 2009  - 2010 & Developed by  Just Wait Teens

The Route to Happiness   
Maurine Patten

Many struggle with situations at work or home that cannot be altered or avoided. You may find yourself talking with friends and family about increasing levels of stress. It can feel like happiness is more illusive than ever before.


Happiness is different things to different people. To some, it is a life without doubt, anger or sadness. To others, it is the ability to receive pleasant things or to focus on what is good rather than fixing what is wrong. In finding the route to happiness, I am defining happiness as an internal state, usually positive, based on your feelings, traits and strengths. According to Martin Seligman, founder of Positive Psychology and author of Authentic Happiness (2002), there are three levels of happiness:

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Odd Man Out (The Scientist)
Do fish have personalities?

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* the pleasurable life


* the good life

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Radio Personality 'Dark Star' Leaves WCCO-AM After 25 Years (Minnesota Public Radio)
Radio personality Dark Star is leaving WCCO-AM after 25 years with the station, most recently as the late-night host of "Sports Night with Dark Star."

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* the meaningful life.


Exciting research shows that although there is a genetic link for depression, happiness can be learned or increased because it is not something that happens to you. It is something you make happen. In addition to Seligman, Mihaly Csikszentmehalyi and Dan Baker have conducted research over the last decade on "Flow" and happiness. This information gives you more insight into how to increase levels of happiness, gratification and/or meaning in your life.


Seligman had identified six virtues that define "good character" in almost every culture. These virtues are:


* wisdom/knowledge


* courage


* love/humanity


* temperance


* justice


* spirituality/transcendence


He has also identified twenty-four strengths that describe behaviors that lead to the above virtues. Each person has five strengths that are Signature Strengths. When used daily, they define what will give you a sense of gratification and meaning in your life. To determine your strengths go to http://www.AuthenticHappiness.org or http://www.viastrengths.org. It will take about 45 minutes to answer the 240 item inventory. There is no charge.


In addition, we know that positive emotions broaden your intellectual, physical and social resources by:


* helping you be more creative, open and maybe smarter.


* helping you select appropriate goals and persevere in achieving them.


* increasing productivity, income and satisfaction with your work.


* helping you be more social and have good relationships.


* increasing empathy and generosity.


* improving physical health.


One client, having moved back to the Midwest after being in California for two years, recently shared with me, "The weather was beautiful; I had completed my degree, and my career was going well. However, I wasn't happy. What I want, more than anything, is to be happy." I shared the following research with her which indicates that the following external circumstances have little to no effect on happiness:


* money, especially if you have enough to meet basic needs


* one major physical illness or problem


* higher education


* your race, social class


* living in a sunnier climate


* age


* gender


In contrast, setting appropriate goals, having a strong social network, being married, religiousness, level of leisure activity and avoiding negative events and emotions have a moderate to robust effect on raising levels of happiness.


Also, there are important internal states which can be controlled in order to increase positive emotions and feel like you are living a "good life." To increase your level of happiness, follow the route to happiness by:


I. Letting go of the past. It is liberating and your individual responsibility to move on from negative, early past events in your life.


2. Looking for and finding things and/or people from your past to appreciate and savor; keeping a gratitude journal.


3. If necessary, forgiving the person(s) involved in negative events to set yourself free from the past. You will still have the memory; however, the hurt will be transformed. This may or may not be followed by reconciliation.


4. Disputing negative thoughts by effectively challenging your beliefs. Ask yourself, what is real?


5. Spreading out pleasures and savoring them; be mindful of things in the present.


6. Choosing challenging tasks that require skill and concentration to forward the action toward your goals. This may not always be pleasant because it may take effort. However, it moves you toward enjoyment and gratification - the "good life."


7. Identifying your Signature (top 3-5) Strengths. Use them daily to recraft your work and personal life. Feeling gratified comes about by exercising your signature strengths and virtues. Using them for something larger than yourself gives meaning to your life.


Someone once said that the secret of having it all is believing that you do. According to Seligman, increasing positive feelings gives you a pleasant life. Using your Signature Strengths brings gratification and a good life. Using your strengths to contribute to something larger than yourself will bring meaning into your life. Doing all three allows you to lead a "full" life. I challenge you to follow the route to happiness and discover where it leads you.



Maurine Patten, Ed.D., CMC, Maximize Your Possibilities
http://www.PattenCoaching.com
Mailto:mdpcoach@pattencoaching.com
More free information, EI and Pre-retirement assessment, and ezine subscription at http://www.PattenCoaching.com
Index of Articles about Temperaments & Strengths