How to master your mind

Ever heard of the Stanford marshmallow experiment? American psychologist Walter Mischel and his team of researchers made these soft and sweet treats famous in the 1960s, when Mischel started becoming increasingly interested in subjects related to choices, rewards, trust, impulse control and gratification. The reason for this interest? His habit of smoking three packs of cigarettes a day - one that he found terribly difficult to quit, despite being fully aware of the adverse health effects. In pursuit of an explanation for his own behaviour, he ended up contributing greatly to our understanding of impulse regulation and control.
Mischel set up a series of experiments, where children between the ages of 4-7 were told to sit in a room for about 10-15 minutes. At the beginning of the experiment, they were given one marshmallow (or pretzel or mint) and told that if they would wait 10 minutes, they would be re-warded with a second marshmallow.
What followed remains one of the most fascinating and endearing psychological experiments involving children, who would demonstrate differences in their ability to sit patiently, resist temptation and understand the importance of postponing pleasure for a better reward. If you haven't already seen it, do search for the 'Marshmallow Experiment' clip online, where the original studies have been replicated.
One group of participants of Mischel's study were actually followed for more than 50 years to try and identify specific correlations between those who were able to delay gratification and certain life decisions or out-comes. The results were shocking: those kids who were able to delay gratification had better high school and university results, more successful relationships, healthier lifestyles, better planning for the future and lesser in-stances of substance abuse.
Controlling and managing our impulses is one of the main traits that sets humans apart from other species. Of course, it's incredibly complicated and far from easy - else there would be no obesity, theft, cheating, pathological gambling, addictions or other 'tumultuous twitches'.
According to Psychiatric Time, if there is a reoccurring pattern associated with failure to resist temptation, which may be harmful to yourself and others, the person may be diagnosed as having Impulse Control Disor-der (ICD).
The disorder is characterised by four main qualities:
>The perpetuation of repeated negative behaviours, regardless of their negative consequences
>Progressive lack of control over engaging in these behavior
>Mounting tension or craving to act out these negative behaviours prior to acting on them
>Sense of relief or pleasure in performing these problematic behaviours
This disorder, which occurs mostly in males and is usually diagnosed in late adolescence or early adulthood, is caused by combination of biological and environ-mental issues; however, the exact origin has yet to be identified. Those suffering from this disorder are advised to seek the help of a clinical psychologist who can diagnose and treat this condition through a combination of therapy and medication.
Unfortunately, as a result of advances in technology, products and services, we have become increasingly accustomed to 'quick gratification'. With all our information, mu-sic, food and shopping needs met online, we rarely have to wait for things the way we used to. This, of course, contributes to expecting needs and impulses to be satisfied quicker and more frequently.
If there isn't a deep-rooted psychological condition or disorder, managing impulses can be improved and developed.
Here are a few strategies that may help as you begin grabbing the reins of certain dysfunctional desires:
>Start by identifying what kind of impulses impact your life negatively.
 >Get feedback from friends and family - whom you trust - about how they perceive your impulse-driven actions and behaviours.
> Have a substitute or backup plan in place, in advance.
> Tell your significant other or a friend you trust to help remind you to activate the substitute, should the impulse occur.
> Postpone pleasing the impulse. Don't deprive yourself immediately or completely - just tell yourself that you can have what you want later. Chances are you may actually forget about it.
> Confront your impulses - don't try to re-press them, as pushing them away may result in displaced damaging behaviours that could leave you worse for wear.
> If you happen to slip, and fail to activate the substitute, don't stay down. Get up and try again.
>Become more aware about what triggers your impulses and try and stay away from those elements.
> When tempted, remind yourself of all the harmful effects of that behaviour versus the benefits you will enjoy by resisting.
Be mindful of the fact that the process of governing certain urges takes time. It's easy to give in to impulses; however, with time, support and effort, you can conquer most psychological cravings. Remember, in most cases you are the master of the mind