Are Frugal People More Emotionally Mature?by Mary Ann Romans | More from this Blogger 30 Sep 2008 06:24 PM A famous study on children measured the level of emotional maturity when it came to delayed gratification, and then followed those children throughout their lives. They found that those children who were able to delay gratification wound up being more successful than their peers. The researchers attributed this delayed gratification to a heightened emotional maturity that served them well later in life. The way the test worked was thus: children met a researcher in a room, one at a time. A single marshmallow was placed in front of a child. The child was told that the researcher needed to go away for a little while but if the marshmallow was still there when he or she got back, then the child could have two marshmallows instead of one. Delayed gratification is a big part of a frugal lifestyle. Making due with what you have, waiting on wants and sometimes even needs until the best deal comes along or until you can really afford it is something that many frugal people are familiar with. It is so easy to live beyond your means these days. Credit card companies practically beg you for business, and it is not unheard of to have four or five credit cards (or more) that tempt you to buy whatever you want regardless of the consequences. The fact that frugally minded people, who watch their pennies, make their own meals at home, buy used items or find them for free, means that they generally don't give in to the temptation of immediate gratification. Does this mean that they are more emotionally mature? Think back to your own childhood. Would you have gobbled up the marshmallow or waited to be rewarded with a second one? Would your answer be any different today? Do you think there is a connection between delayed gratification and emotional maturity? Click here for more articles by Mary Ann Romans. Appreciating the Little Things Recession Giving Birth to More Frugals
Just look to the right of this blog and find the subscription center (it looks just like this picture, although you'll have to find the "real" one just above the category listing ). Click on "Subscribe via Email". You'll be instantly subscribed and the email address that you registered at Families.com with will receive an instant notification whenever we post a new Frugal Living Blog! Don't miss a thing - subscribe now! Learn more about Mary Ann Romans  Mary Ann Romans is a freelance writer, wife and mother of three children. She lives in Pennsylvania with her husband, the kids and a 16-pound cat. Relevantfrugal tags User Comments Tashi (1013) 30 Sep 2008 06:42 PMI've always hated marshmallows, so the one would still be there when the researcher got back. Now, if it were Hershey's Kisses, then I *may* have snatched one up before the researcher returned. I don't believe there's a tie to maturity, but an indication of how a child was raised and their willpower. mrmnmom82 (3365) 30 Sep 2008 09:51 PMI think will power and maturity can be the same thing. I believe it does matter how we were raised. My mother would buy cases of soda on sale, but we could only have it with pizza. And we only had pizza like 4 times a year! So we would have to walk by the soda in the laundry room every day! It was killer! But I don't find it difficult to tell myself "no, that's a want not a need" Thanks mom! Exept when I'm pregnant, I want it and I want it now! mrmnmom82 (3365) 01 Oct 2008 06:13 AMI consider willpower another form of self control. Obstaining from something, if you will. I think it also shows a little bit of humility. Something epensive or frivoliss, is not more important than having financial peace.  Mary Ann Romans (26886) 01 Oct 2008 02:55 PMWhat are some ways that you can teach this to your children? mrmnmom82 (3365) 02 Oct 2008 11:00 AMWe get the Oriental Trading magazine. I like to buy something fun to hand out at Halloween every year. Well, my son likes to go through and say,"I want that, I'm gonna get that!" I tell him to circle what he likes. I make it clear that this is just for fun, we don't have enough money to buy all of these things. When we emptied his piggy bank into the real bank I asked what he wanted to save up for, he said a spiderman costume. That works for me. He has something to look forward to. When we're at the grocery store I have a mantra I've learned to repeat, he now answers his own question when he asks, " can we get.....?" The mantra is, "That's not on our list." sometimes it's "You allready have one at home." He responds "OH, ya! I have one at home!" I guess he forgot! We don't have hardly any tantrums in the store. Samual (11722) 03 Oct 2008 02:54 AMSurely if frugal people were more mature, they would realise by being frugal they make the worlds financial situation far worse, as a decrease of money leads to a decrease in wages and currency power. I wouldn't eat the marshmellow, who would allow their body to be pumped with such harmful chemicals?  Valorie Delp (49340) 03 Oct 2008 05:12 AMPeople who think marshmallows are tasty? Seriously Samual, I think you grossly misunderstand frugality. These are the same people that are likely to save the earth from mass consumerism by doing their own composting and growing their own food. They find ways to save on energy, and reduce their waste by reusing and recycling. Not to mention the fact that people who are frugal with their daily needs are often the very people that have money to turn around and invest. Frugality doesn't have to be synonymous with cheap. Samual (11722) 03 Oct 2008 05:29 AMThats like eating a KFC or McDonalds, disgusting no matter how it tasets. Here frugal and cheap have the same meaning, being frugal has massively contributed to recession, every recession in history has been worsened by people keeping their hands in their pockets, it is a well known case. Mary Ann Romans (26886) 03 Oct 2008 06:17 AMSamual, One thing I wanted to mention about being frugal, is that is is a requirement for some households. Some people who practice frugality do so in order to keep food on the table and a roof over their heads. They work hard and contribute to society, but just can't make it any other ways. Others decide to reduce to one income and stay home with children. Still others, as Val mentioned, want to be good stewards of their resources. I also haven't met a frugal person yet who doesn't give to charities through money, food or volunteering. I wouldn't call these people cheap. Samual (11722) 03 Oct 2008 06:37 AMHere frugal/cheapness only applies to those who can afford it, but choose not to, it doesn't include lower incomes. Valorie Delp (49340) 03 Oct 2008 06:53 AMI think too you're oversimplifying the issue. It's true that the more people spend money the more it boosts the economy over all. I think you're confusing frugalality with stinginess which is not the same thing. But telling me that my family is contributing to a recession because we chose a simple lifestyle so I could stay home is kind of. . .well just backwards thinking. Frugality is about making choices on how you will spend your money. I know lots of people that live simply in order to give to those who need it more. This is just not the same concept. Community Tags emotional maturity, frugal, marshmallow test, save money Discuss this article
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