Every time I hear people like Morrison and Frydenberg complaining about Dan Andrews’ playing the long game to avoid the health and economic disaster of a third wave of covid, I think of the marshmallow experiment in delayed gratification. A thread👇🏻
The marshmallow experiment is a way to check whether 5 year olds can delay gratification - you put a marshmallow in front of them. If they can avoid eating it for three minutes, they get a second marshmallow.
jamesclear.com/delayed-gratif…
jamesclear.com/delayed-gratif…
The study has shown that 5 year olds who can delay gratification are more successful later in life. Being able to suffer in the short term, to be patient, to resist immediate rewards for a better reward in the future, is apparently an important characteristic in life.
A lockdown until covid is contained and no longer spreading (elimination for as long as possible) is a great example of short term pain for long term gain. Victoria has been suffering this pain, making this sacrifice, for the long term benefits of their healthy and economy.
While Andrews has been leading this effort, he has been taking a huge amount of political pain, and has been wearing it because he knows it’s the right thing to do in the long term. That’s why he is so respected - he does right thing because it’s the right thing. Even when hard.
Meanwhile, the whole time Victoria have been making this sacrifice for everyone’s benefit, the Vic and Federal Liberals, and Murdoch media, have been screaming at Andrews to eat the marshmallow now. They’re 5 year olds who only think of today. I know who I’d prefer in charge. End
