WeWow on the Weekend

Summary

Podcast Summary: Wow in the World — WeWow on the Weekend (Feb 22, 2026)

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Episode Overview

This episode of WeWow on the Weekend, a spinoff from "Wow in the World," is hosted by Dennis and his sidekick Reggie. They broadcast from a newly constructed "blanket forge" studio, dive into listener reviews, experiment with hats, and—true to the WeWow format—revisit a classic episode of "Wow in the World" about the famous marshmallow experiment in psychology. The theme: Why are kids today better at waiting than adults were at their age? The show is filled with silly antics and scientific curiosity, perfect for families and young listeners.

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Cozy New Studio & Listener Reviews (01:10–07:01)

Inside the Blanket Forge

• Dennis introduces the "double clubhouse": a blanket fort inside the basement club, equipped with old quilts, a pantry (with a half-eaten chit chat bar under couch cushions), and an improvised arcade.
• Reggie and Dennis attempt to play “Dance Pants Evolution”, resulting in the collapse of their blanket structure.
  • Notable moment: "Give Dance Pants up in here, you're gonna make the whole thing—Reggie, the board, it collapsed." — Dennis (02:47)

"Reviewsies" Segment

• Dennis reads wacky reviews, including:
  • A mysterious cat review: “Meow meow meow meow meow meow meow.” Dennis suspects it’s from a broken cat, or a cat using speech-to-text. (03:27)
  • The International Snooping Society: An invite from "President Susan S.," which Dennis earnestly accepts, convinced of its seriousness. (04:33)
    • Quote: "Of course it's real. It says right here it's from the president of snooping. Well, Onion Breath is probably just the code name. We snoops often have to go incognito." — Dennis (05:01)
  • A style suggestion: Someone thinks Reggie would look great in a top hat, prompting a search through their costume box for hats of all kinds until they find the prized item. (06:17)
    • "Here you go, Reggie. One fancy top hat." — Dennis (06:26)
    • "We should call you Sir Reginald Fancy Feathers." — Dennis (06:33)
• Listeners encouraged to submit reviews for a chance at being featured.

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Inside Tinkercast Studios: Revisiting "Wait, Wait, Are Those Marshmallows?" (07:01–27:46)

The Marshmallow Experiment Setup (09:32–13:13)

• Mindy and Guy Raz, setting: dentist’s office.
• Mindy comically claims her teeth are all marshmallows, resulting from eating too many. She introduces her “patience tank”—a backpack supposedly full of patience, now running low.
  • "See, it's this tank I wear on my back, and it comes preloaded with patience. But judging by how low it is at this time of the morning, I think I probably should have ordered a bigger tank." — Mindy Thomas (11:33)
• Encounters with Thomas Fingerling from a previous episode and silly banter about viral “knuckle cracking,” the invented game of tag, and early internet viral videos.

The Marshmallow Test Explained (17:07–26:50)

• Guy Raz explains the psychological "marshmallow experiment" originally by Walter Mischel (1960):
  • Kids are given the choice to eat one marshmallow now or wait 10 minutes for two. Only a third (approx. 33%) could wait.
    • "This is the exact same experiment scientists have used for decades to judge children's attention span, or the length of time they could spend focusing on just one thing." — Guy Raz (22:21)
  • Later studies showed that patience correlated with better life outcomes.
  • Key finding: Modern children, on average, wait longer for two marshmallows than kids from 30 or 50 years ago.
    • "These scientists found out that kids these days were, on average, able to put off eating the marshmallow for two minutes longer than those kids in 1960 and one minute longer than the kids in 1980." — Guy Raz (24:53)
• Reasons explored for increased patience/attention in today’s kids:
  • More kids attend preschool, providing early lessons about waiting and delayed rewards.
  • Interactions with technology, such as games that require saving up for bigger rewards (like power boosts in games), help kids practice delayed gratification.
    • Mindy: “So like how in Crazy Monkey Ninja, if I save up all his bananas, I can get a power boost, but to do that I have to put off getting all those sweet ninja costumes?” (26:18)
  • Quote: "When it comes to patience and delayed gratification and waiting and attention spans, it might just mean that practice makes perfect." — Mindy Thomas (26:31)

Notable Humorous Moments

• Mindy’s failed patience: She only waits 30 seconds before eating the marshmallow in their home experiment (22:12).
  • "Well done, Mindy. You lasted a whole 30 seconds." — Guy Raz (22:12)
  • Mindy crunches on uncooked pasta, not wanting to wait for water to boil (23:09)
• Banana suits as scientific attire:
  • “Mindy, these are banana suits.” — Guy Raz (19:46)

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Wrapping Up: Listener Engagement & Marshmallow Curiosity (27:55–29:00)

• Dennis and Reggie reflect on the experiment and express their own impatience for marshmallows.
  • "I want marshmallows, Reggie. Okay, fine. I'll be patient." — Dennis (27:56)
• Invitation for listeners to call in with questions (1-888-7-WOW-WOW).
• Fun facts about marshmallows and their origin: a “marshmallow plant,” leading to an idea to become marshmallow farmers. (28:52)
  • "We should plant some and we can be marshmallow farmers." — Dennis (28:52)

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Memorable Quotes

• On the value of patience:
  "The longer they were able to delay gratification, the more patient the kid. Exactly."
  — Guy Raz (22:49)

• On self-recognition:
  "So what does this even mean? Kids just don't like marshmallows anymore? Because if they're not gonna eat them, I know someone who would gladly take on that task. I'm pointing to myself."
  — Mindy Thomas (25:10)

• Podcast's signature spirit:
  "When it comes to patience and delayed gratification and waiting and attention spans, it might just mean that practice makes perfect."
  — Mindy Thomas (26:31)

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Episode Structure & Key Timestamps

• 01:10–07:01: Blanket fort tour & listener reviews
• 07:01–07:37: Segment transition
• 09:32–18:31: Dentist office antics, “patience tank,” and setting up the marshmallow experiment
• 19:04–26:50: Marshmallow experiment explanation, results & modern implications
• 27:55–28:52: Post-episode wrap-up and marshmallow farming idea

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Tone & Engagement

The episode is lively, silly, and encourages curiosity—mixing playful banter, kid-driven logic, and genuinely interesting science. The approachable and comedic tone, along with memorable role-playing (especially by Mindy, Dennis, Guy Raz, and Reggie), makes the marshmallow experiment and the concept of patience not just understandable but exciting for kids.

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Takeaway

Kids today really might be better at waiting than generations before—and it turns out science, schools, and even video games could be to thank!

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For more wow-worthy science stories and playful learning, tune in every Monday to Wow in the World and join the fun on WeWow on the Weekend!

Transcript

[Mindy Thomas]

Hey, Wowzer fams. Mindy and Guy Raz here. And before we start the show, we've got a little surprise for you. Reggie, cue the fanfare.

[Guy Raz]

Starting this week, we've got brand new episodes of wow in the World.

[Mindy Thomas]

Yep, that's right. Starting right here on our wow in the World podcast feed. And also our YouTube channel, WowTube. You can watch [e-mail].

[Guy Raz]

well, what are we waiting for? Let's get back to the show.

[Thomas Fingerling]

Ah, ah, ah, ah.

[Dennis]

We wow on the weekend. We wow on the weekend. We wow on the weekend.

Cause this is what we do on the weekend.

Talking, laughing. Me and Reggie singing, laughing. And then we.

Oh, wait, no, I said laughing twice.

[Guy Raz]

Whatever.

[Dennis]

We wow on the weekend. Yeah, we wow on the weekend. We wow on the weekend.

Cause this is what we do on the weekend. Hello and welcome to We Wow on the Weekend. I'm your host, Dennis, and that's Reggie, my co host. Now, I know you can't see it, but today we're recording from our brand new cozy Wozy blanket Forge style studio. I know, it's like we have a clubhouse, right? The basement here is also like a clubhouse. But now it's like we have a clubhouse inside our clubhouse. Double clubhouse. So what do you think, Reggie? Should we give our devoted listeners the tour? Great. Let's go. As you can see, we draped some old quilts over the back of the couch and secured them with tape and. And boxes full of old junk. Now, over here is the main area, slash living room, slash podcast studio. And over here by the couch cushions is the kitchen. Hungry? Look in the pantry. You just lift up one of the couch cushions and underneath is half a chit chat bar.

[Reggie]

Mm, mm, mm, mm.

[Dennis]

Okay, let's get going. And then in this corner is the arcade. We got a game, dude. And Scrabble Ship and Dance Pants Evolution.

[Reggie]

Reggie, wait.

[Dennis]

I don't think we can actually play Dance Pants Evolution in here. It's just for the.

[Reggie]

Look, Reggie, stop. Board's too small. Give Dance Pants up in here, you're gonna make the whole thing. Reggie, the board, it collapsed.

[Dennis]

Well, turn off Dance Pants Evolution and

[Reggie]

get us out of.

[Dennis]

See if we can get out over there.

[Reggie]

No, Reggie. Ow. That's my foot. Woo.

[Dennis]

I'm free. Sweet, sweet air. Thank you, Reggie. Okay, let's move on to reading reviewsies. Ahem. I'm reading reviewsies for me and for you.

[Reggie]

Z.

[Dennis]

We've got us some doozies, so let's read reviews. Z's. This is the part where we print out the comments people write us on Apple podcasts or Spotify or whatever and they give us stars and I read them aloud. This first reviewsy is from username g h c d f c b i2h Dr. The title says baby and the message says meow meow meow meow meow meow meow. Um, did a cat write this? No. Yeah, it just says meow over and over. Well, maybe a cat walked over the keyboard or did speech to text maybe or something. I'm telling you Reggie, cats are broken. Next reviewsy. This reviewsy is from username onionbrath. The subject says wee wow on the weekend and the message says Dear Mr. Dennis.

[Reggie]

Woohoo Mr. Dennis. I love it.

[Dennis]

Dear Mr. Dennis, we are inviting you to join the ISS, the International Snooping Society. Signed Susan S. President.

[Reggie]

The president wants me to join the International Snooping Society. I've been waiting for this review my entire life. This is so exciting. I'm gonna meet snoops from all over the in a secret society.

[Dennis]

This is every dream I've ever had coming true in this moment. What do you mean it's not real? Of course it's real. It says right here it's from the president of snooping. Well, Onion breath is probably just the code name. We snoops often have to go incognito.

[Guy Raz]

Oh, what do you know?

[Dennis]

Dear President Susan S. AKA Onion Breath, I accept your offer of membership. Please send my initiation kit and invitation to whatever cool parties you guys throw at your earliest convenience. Sincerely, Mr. Dennis. Next reviewsy. This last reviewsy is from username timesq56. The subject says. Hello, Mr. Dennis III. I know everyone's so fancy today. The message says, I love this show so much and I think Reggie would look really good in a top hat. Love you guys. Party emoji. Party emoji. Reggie, you would look really good in a top hat. Well, hold on, let me go check if we have one in the costume box. Let's see. Firefighter hat. No. Pirate hat.

[Guy Raz]

No.

[Dennis]

Baseball cap. Hard hat. Train conductor hat. Witch hat. Ship captain's hat. Propeller hat.

Cowboy hat.

[Reggie]

Aha.

[Dennis]

Here you go, Reggie. One fancy top hat.

[Reggie]

Put it on.

[Mindy Thomas]

Ooh.

[Dennis]

We should call you Sir Reginald Fancy Feathers. Yeah, Sir Reginald fancy feathers. And Mr. Dennis III your service. Thanks for all your reviewsies, listeners.

[Reggie]

Keep em coming.

[Dennis]

If you leave a comment on Apple podcasts or Spotify, I just might read it on Wee Wow on the Weeknd. Five stars or more, please. Okay, let's move on to a little segment I like to call Inside Tinkercast Studios.

[Mindy Thomas]

Ahem.

[Dennis]

Inside Tinkercast Studios. This is the part where we revisit an episode of one of my favorite Tinkercast shows. And today we're listening to wow in the World, Season 2, Episode 40 called Wait, Wait. Are those marshmallows? Why kids are better at waiting than adults? Good question, Reggie. Why are kids better at waiting than adults?

[Reggie]

I know. I want to know right now.

[Dennis]

Put the podcast on, Reggie.

[Reggie]

Put it on.

[Dennis]

Put it on.

[Reggie]

Put it on. Yay.

[Mindy Thomas]

Wee. WOW will be right back. Grown Ups, this message is for you.

[IXL Announcer]

Hey Grown Ups. Spring is right around the corner and as schedules fill up with activities and travel, let IXL help you stay on top of your child's learning. IXL is an award winning online learning platform that fits seamlessly into homeschooling. It offers interactive practice in math, language arts, science, and social studies for grades Pre K through 12th. IXL offers personalized learning for every child and gives parents clear insight into their progress. At Tinkercast, making learning fun is our bread and butter. So we love that IXL has games, awards and celebrations to keep students motivated and engaged. Make an impact on your child's learning. Get IXL now and WOW in the world. Listeners can get an exclusive 20% off IXL membership when they sign up today at ixl.com wow visit ixl.com wow to get the most effective learning program out there at the best price.

[Karlie Q]

Hello, it's me, Karlie Q from who When Wow Mystery Edition and I have big news to share. I've learned a lot on my time traveling adventures over the years, like what to pack when you're traveling to Victorian England or the must try foods when you're visiting the Viking age.

[Mindy Thomas]

Spoiler alert.

[Karlie Q]

The food is pretty good, but they don't have pie yet, which is a bummer. I can't wait to share my time travel tips and tricks with you all.

[Mindy Thomas]

You can listen to my new bite

[Karlie Q]

sized episodes in the who When Wow. Podcast feed now. Looks like lunch break is over.

[Mindy Thomas]

That's it. Now back to the show.

[Reggie]

Wow in the World.

[Mindy Thomas]

Knock knock.

[Dental Receptionist]

Welcome to wow. Dental, where we put the ow in wow.

[Mindy Thomas]

Okay, you were supposed to say who's there? But anywho, I'm here to see the dentist.

[Dental Receptionist]

Do you have an appointment?

[Guy Raz]

Yes.

[Dental Receptionist]

Yeah, no, I'm sorry. In that case, the dentist won't be able to see you today. All patients must call first to make an appointment.

[Mindy Thomas]

Yeah, well, I tried to call and make an appointment, but the hold time was like a million hours, so I

[Dental Receptionist]

gave up I'll see what I can do. And what brings you in today?

[Mindy Thomas]

Oh, my teeth are marshmallows.

[Dental Receptionist]

Um, sorry.

[Mindy Thomas]

See, the last time I was here, Dr. Russo warned me that if I kept eating so many marshmallows that eventually I would turn into one. And it happened. Basically, all of my teeth are now mini marshmallows.

[Reggie]

See?

[Mindy Thomas]

Well, it does appear that you have

[Dental Receptionist]

several small marshmallows stuck to your back molars.

[Mindy Thomas]

Yep. I call it marshmallow mouth.

[Dental Receptionist]

Well, why don't you take a seat, fill out these forms, and bring them back up to the desk when you're done? I'll see if Dr. Russo can fit you in this morning.

[Mindy Thomas]

Ah, yeah, about that. There are, like, 90 billion forms here, and I just don't really like filling them out. And my patience tank is running on empty.

[Dental Receptionist]

I'm sorry, your patience tank?

[Mindy Thomas]

Yeah, I ordered it from Wamazon, but it took, like, two days to get here, which would have been fine had I had any patience to begin with.

[Dental Receptionist]

And what exactly is a patience tank?

[Mindy Thomas]

Oh, right, yeah. Let me just turn around and I'll show you. Huh? Yeah. What do you think? Oh, be careful.

[Dental Receptionist]

There's a plant fire.

[Guy Raz]

Ah.

[Mindy Thomas]

See, it's this tank I wear on my back, and it comes preloaded with patience. But judging by how low it is at this time of the morning, I think I probably should have ordered a bigger tank.

[Dental Receptionist]

Right. Patience. Please take a seat and fill out the forms. Thank you.

[Mindy Thomas]

Bye.

[Thomas Fingerling]

Bye.

[Mindy Thomas]

Okay, get off my forms and walking through the waiting room. Hello, everyone. Good morning. Marshmallow mouth coming through. Excuse me. Oh, hi. Excuse me. Good morning. Oh, hi. Excuse me. Is this seat taken?

[Guy Raz]

Nope.

[Mindy Thomas]

Thanks. So what are you in for?

[Thomas Fingerling]

None of your business.

[Guy Raz]

Oh, hi. I'm here to pick up my friend.

[Dental Receptionist]

Could you describe your friend for me?

[Guy Raz]

Yeah, medium height, easily excited. She loves tacos. Oh, and she claims to be allergic to waiting rooms.

[Dental Receptionist]

Right over there. The one making paper airplanes out of her medical forms.

[Mindy Thomas]

Duck and cover, everyone. Crop duster coming through.

[Guy Raz]

Hey, Mindy. Here to pick you up. You ready to go?

[Mindy Thomas]

Hey, guy. Raz. Sorry, I am not even close to being ready to be picked up. I thought I'd be done by now, but first I have to fill out all these forms, and then I have to wait for the dentist to even come see me.

[Guy Raz]

Wait, does he look familiar to you?

[Mindy Thomas]

Does he sound familiar to you?

[Guy Raz]

Mindy? I think that's. I think that's Thomas Fingerling from the Knuckle Hut.

[Mindy Thomas]

Oh, yeah, from that one time we took a tour of that giant hand to learn what caused his knuckles to pop. Mr. Fingerling. Mr. Fingerling. Mr.— Fingerling.

[Thomas Fingerling]

Speak up. By golly, I can't hear what you're saying, mister.

[Mindy Thomas]

Yep, that's him all right.

[Guy Raz]

Hey, Mr. Fingerling. Remember us?

[Thomas Fingerling]

No.

[Reggie]

Hi.

[Guy Raz]

What a funny coincidence meeting you here.

[Mindy Thomas]

Yeah, the last time we saw you, you were showing off your signature Papa neck Chuck moves at the knucklehead.

[Reggie]

How have you been?

[Thomas Fingerling]

Oh, well, you know. Wow.

[Reggie]

That's Bonker balls.

[Thomas Fingerling]

Yeah. Thank you. It's a whole new routine. I've been told that I need to turn it into a computer virus which will infect the teeny boppers and then they'll come to the Knuckle Hut.

[Guy Raz]

Uh, I'm sorry, did you just say.

[Mindy Thomas]

I think what you mean to say is that you're trying to turn your knuckle cracking performance into a viral Internet sensation that spreads among teens and gets them off their phones and into the Knuckle Hut.

[Thomas Fingerling]

What? Is there an echo in here? In here? Oh. Oh. Maybe there is an echo in here. That's strange Guy.

[Mindy Thomas]

Raz, let me see your phone.

[Guy Raz]

Oh, but I just.

[Mindy Thomas]

Okay, Mr. Fingerling, now do that weird knuckle thing again so I can record it and upload it to Facebase, MeTV and Instaspam.

[Thomas Fingerling]

Ooh, I love Spam. Spammin eggs, Spammin taters, Hawaiian pizza, Spam meatballs.

[Mindy Thomas]

Mmm.

[Thomas Fingerling]

Okay, here we go. Da doo boo ba da da da.

[Dental Receptionist]

Excuse me, miss. How are those forms coming along?

[Mindy Thomas]

Fantastic. Oh, yeah. This is gonna get the teenagers to the Knucklehop for sure. Now just hang on for one second, Mr. Fingerling, while I tag you.

[Thomas Fingerling]

Tag? Will you never tag me? I'm as quick as a cricket.

[Guy Raz]

What?

[Thomas Fingerling]

You know, I invented the game of tag back in 1952.

[Guy Raz]

You invented tag?

[Thomas Fingerling]

You calling me a liar, young lady, of course I invented it. I originally called it touch and go, and then some young nincompoop came by and abbreviated it tag.

[Mindy Thomas]

Pssh.

[Thomas Fingerling]

Bunch of nonsense.

[Mindy Thomas]

What? Oh, no, not that kind of tag. I'm going to tag you in this video that I just took so that everyone on Facebase and METV can see that it's you. And before you know it, you'll be a viral knuckle cracking sensation.

[Thomas Fingerling]

Why, that sounds as easy as falling off a log, which I suppose can be a little difficult these days on account of logs being so scarce and all.

[Guy Raz]

Uh, Mindy, are you sure they haven't called your name yet? We've been here for a while now,

[Mindy Thomas]

and I Can feel the mini marshmallows hardening on my teeth with every passing minute.

[Guy Raz]

Wait, you're here because you have marshmallows stuck to the.

[Thomas Fingerling]

Just be patient, young lady. My gosh, kids with their four GS and their microwave ovens. Gotta have everything right here, right now. Lickety splint.

[Guy Raz]

Well, actually, Mr. Fingerling.

[Thomas Fingerling]

Where did you come from, young lady?

[Guy Raz]

Huh? I've been here the whole time.

[Thomas Fingerling]

Hmm, I don't know about that.

[Guy Raz]

Well, anyway, I was just reading a recent study from the American Psychological association association that shows kids these days are actually better at waiting than kids were 30 or even 50 years ago.

[Thomas Fingerling]

Hmm? Oh, sorry, what were you saying? I was watching this Internet video of a sneezing panda bear.

[Mindy Thomas]

Oh, click on that one. The one that says keyboard cat.

[Thomas Fingerling]

This one's gonna be good.

[Mindy Thomas]

Sorry, Guy Raz, you were just saying something about how researchers recently discovered that kids these days have better attention spans than they like 30 or 50 years ago.

[Guy Raz]

Oh, you were listening.

[Mindy Thomas]

Of course I was listening. So how did they find out?

[Guy Raz]

Well, this might surprise you, Mindy, but they made the discovery with a little help from marshmallows.

[Thomas Fingerling]

Back in my day, we called them fluffy sugar cane bums.

[Mindy Thomas]

Ah, hold the phone, Guy Raz. What exactly do marshmallows have to do with kids and their attention? Spanish.

[Guy Raz]

Well, Mindy, I could show you.

[Mindy Thomas]

Or.

[Guy Raz]

Or I could.

[Mindy Thomas]

Feed me.

[Guy Raz]

What? No, no. Well, yes, but. But for science.

[Mindy Thomas]

Oh, well, in that case, I guess if it's for science, then maybe I could stand to eat a few marshmallows. I don't know.

[Guy Raz]

Anything for science.

[Mindy Thomas]

Yes, anything for science. Hey, Fingerlings, you wanna bust outta here and go eat some marshmallow? I mean, perform some stringent and very serious scientific experiments with us?

[Thomas Fingerling]

You two go ahead. I gotta go show the dentist this tusk I got growing up through my gums. Look, Guy.

[Guy Raz]

But, Mindy, shouldn't we wait until you're called in to see the dentist?

[Mindy Thomas]

Guy Raz, we could come back next week and I'd still be waiting. Come on, let's get to the lab so we can eat some marshmallow for science.

[Guy Raz]

But.

[Mindy Thomas]

Come on. See you on the flip side, Mr. Fingerling.

[Thomas Fingerling]

What the devil is a flip side?

[Mindy Thomas]

Ah, feels good to be back at the laboratory of bad ideas. So, you ready to roast some marshmallows or what?

[Guy Raz]

Mindy, we're not gonna roast marshmallows. We're performing a psychological assessment as to the effects of delayed gratification.

[Mindy Thomas]

Right, of course, but that psychological assessment in the Effects of delayed gratification. Still involves eating marshmallows, right?

[Guy Raz]

Uh, yes.

[Mindy Thomas]

Now, where are those fluffy little sugar bombs anyway?

[Guy Raz]

Not so fast, Mindy. First, we have to suit up. You know, science experiments must be taken very seriously.

[Mindy Thomas]

Oh, about that suiting up business. Um, I accidentally melted our old suits three weeks ago when I was experimenting with how fast I would have to ride your bike before flames burst out of the.

[Dennis]

You.

[Guy Raz]

What?

[Mindy Thomas]

But good news for you, I got us a pair of backup suits on sale. In fact, I think I've got them in my adventure tool bag. Here they are.

[Guy Raz]

Mindy, these are banana suits.

[Mindy Thomas]

They were on sale.

[Guy Raz]

Okay, well, help me climb into this thing.

[Mindy Thomas]

Okay, Just step in one foot at a time and just kind of squeeze yourself in.

[Reggie]

Come on.

[Mindy Thomas]

You got it, you got it. And zip. Ah, sorry, there were a bunch of one star reviews complaining about the pinchy zippers. Forgot to mention that.

[Guy Raz]

Well, put yours on so we can finally get to this experiment. Okay?

[Mindy Thomas]

Okay. Okay. Hey, Guy Raz, how does a banana answer the phone? I don't know.

[Guy Raz]

Yo, why do I feel like I've heard that before?

[Mindy Thomas]

Okay, I'll suit it up. Got my graham crackers, my chocolate, and ready to get down to some scientific business.

[Guy Raz]

Give me those graham crackers and chocolate. This is a serious experiment. And, Mindy, weren't you just at the dentist with a bad case of mini marshmallow teeth?

[Mindy Thomas]

Guy Raz, how exactly are these marshmallows going to show us how kids today are more patient and have longer attention spans than grownups did when they were kids?

[Guy Raz]

Well, to find out, I. I think we better start the experiment.

[Mindy Thomas]

Okay, let's get this party started.

[Guy Raz]

For step one, I am going to place one marshmallow in front of you, and you can have it now.

[Mindy Thomas]

Don't mind if I do.

[Guy Raz]

Wait, wait, you didn't let me finish.

[Mindy Thomas]

Go on.

[Guy Raz]

Okay, you could eat it now, or if you wait ten minutes, you can have two marshmallows.

[Mindy Thomas]

Two marshmallows?

[Guy Raz]

That's right. Okay, are you ready?

[Mindy Thomas]

Ready, Guy Raz? I was born ready for this.

[Guy Raz]

Okay. Three, two, one, go.

[Mindy Thomas]

Oh, man, that marshmallow sure is looking good.

[Guy Raz]

Remember, though, Mindy, if you wait a whole 10 minutes, you could have two of those marshmallows.

[Mindy Thomas]

I know, but it just looks so delicious.

[Reggie]

I can't take it anymore.

[Mindy Thomas]

It's just so good. How'd that do, Guy Raz?

[Guy Raz]

Well done, Mindy. You lasted a whole 30 seconds.

[Mindy Thomas]

Hmm, that was better than I expected. So what does this all mean anyway?

[Guy Raz]

Well, Mindy, this is the exact same experiment that scientists have used for decades to judge children and their attention span, or the length of time they were able to spend focusing on just one thing. The longer that the child was able to avoid the marshmallow and delay his or her gratification.

[Mindy Thomas]

And gratification is just a fancy pants word for a rewarding feeling.

[Guy Raz]

Exactly like the rewarding feeling you get from eating a marshmallow. And the longer they were able to delay gratification, the more patient the kid. Exactly.

[Mindy Thomas]

Huh. So, turns out I'm not all that patient after all, am I?

[Guy Raz]

Well, are you surprised?

[Mindy Thomas]

Hmm.

[Guy Raz]

What?

[Mindy Thomas]

It says here on the package that if I want to cook these spaghetti noodles, I have to wait for the water to boil. Ain't nobody got time for that. Crunchy.

[Guy Raz]

Anyway, this experiment is actually really old, and it's one of the most famous experiments in psychological history.

[Mindy Thomas]

Really?

[Guy Raz]

Yeah. It was first conducted in the year 1960 by 2 Stanford University scientists whose names were WALTER Mischel and E.B. ebison.

[Reggie]

Hmm.

[Mindy Thomas]

And what exactly did they find?

[Guy Raz]

Well, they found that some of the kids ate the marshmallow almost immediately, like me, and that only 1/3, or 33% of participants were able to wait the whole 10 minutes in order to get their second marshmallow.

[Mindy Thomas]

Huh.

[Guy Raz]

Not only that, but they also found that those kids who were able to delay gratification were more likely to later in life, perform better at school and deal better with stress and even lead a healthier lifestyle.

[Mindy Thomas]

Okay, but you said that this experiment also proved that kids today are more patient than they were back when, say, Thomas Fingerling was a kid.

[Guy Raz]

Well, that's true, Mindy. And that's because they redid this experiment in the 1980s and then again in the mid 2000s.

[Mindy Thomas]

Huh. And then I guess they compared the results from those two experiments with the original study that was done back in 1960.

[Guy Raz]

Exactly.

[Mindy Thomas]

And they found that kids in the most recent study were able to resist the temptation of the marshmallow longer than the kids back in 1980 and 1960.

[Guy Raz]

That's right. These scientists found out that kids these days were, on average, able to put off eating the marshmallow for two minutes longer than those kids in 1960 and one minute longer than the kids in 1980.

[Mindy Thomas]

Hmm. So what does this even mean? Kids just don't like marshmallows anymore? Because if they're not gonna eat them, I know someone who would gladly take on that task. I'm pointing to myself.

[Guy Raz]

No, I don't think it's that, Mindy. I think kids are just as into marshmallows today as they were 50 years ago.

[Mindy Thomas]

Well, then what could it be? I mean, why are kids today better at waiting than their parents or grandparents were when they were kids?

[Guy Raz]

Well, some of the researchers believe that it might have to do with more kids being in preschool. Huh.

[Mindy Thomas]

So in general, more kids are learning things earlier in life now?

[Guy Raz]

Correctamundo. And by learning things earlier in life, these kids are able to understand that it's better to wait because they'll get more marshmallows in the end.

[Mindy Thomas]

Anything for marshmallows.

[Reggie]

Hmm.

[Guy Raz]

The researchers also think that these same kids interactions with screens.

[Mindy Thomas]

Like when you play with your phone or a tablet.

[Guy Raz]

Exactly. The researchers think that these interactions are actually helping kids understand reward systems better.

[Reggie]

Ah.

[Mindy Thomas]

So like how in Crazy Monkey Ninja, if I save up all his bananas, I can get a power boost, but to do that, I have to put off getting all those sweet ninja costumes?

[Guy Raz]

Uh, I think so.

[Mindy Thomas]

Basically, when it comes to patience and delayed gratification and waiting and attention spans, it might just mean that practice makes perfect. Huh?

[Guy Raz]

Yeah. Kids these days have already had a ton of practice waiting long before taking the marshmallow experiment.

[Mindy Thomas]

Huh. Well, speaking of marshmallows, I should probably get back to the waiting room of the dentist office. It's been a few hours, and they're probably getting ready to call my name.

[Guy Raz]

Well, why don't you just call first and set up a new appointment? Here, you can use my phone.

[Mindy Thomas]

Oh, thanks. Hey, while I got your phone, you want to watch this crazy MeTV video about this orange with human teeth and eyes that says things like wazzup?

[Guy Raz]

No, no, Mindy. Focus on one task at a time.

[Mindy Thomas]

Fine. Dialing Dr. Dentist. Dial, dial, dial, dial, dial. We're sorry. All of our associates are busy with other clients. The approximate wait time is 1 million hours.

[Reggie]

What?

[Mindy Thomas]

1 million hours?

[Guy Raz]

Just hang up and I'll drive you. Ugh.

[Mindy Thomas]

Thanks, buddy. Well, in that case, I better go get some marshmallow patience for the road.

[Guy Raz]

No.

[Mindy Thomas]

Run, run, run, run, run. Don't leave without me.

[Reggie]

Wow, that was so cool.

[Dennis]

I like the part with the experiment and the marshmallows and the banana joke and the marshmallows and the way they kept talking about marshmallows. I want marshmallows, Reggie. Okay, fine. I'll be patient. Okay, let's wrap up the show and then break into Mindy's house and eat all her marshmallows.

[Mindy Thomas]

Yay.

[Dennis]

Okay, thanks to all you listeners out there for tuning in to Wee Wow on the Weekend. If you have a question for me, call and leave me a message at 1-888-7-WOW-WOW. That's 1-888-7- wow Wow. I just might answer your question on Wee Wow on the Weekend. Okay, let's go. So, Reggie, are marshmallows called marshmallows because they're squishy like a marsh or because they're made in a marsh? Really? Marshmallow plant. We should plant some and we can be marshmallow farmers.

[Reggie]

Marshmallow farmers. Marshmallow farmers. Marshmallow farm.

[Dennis]

Thanks for joining us for this edition of Wee Wow on the Weekend. Our show is written by Ruth Morrison and Jed Anderson. The role of baby Denise is played by Jed Anderson.

[Reggie]

Ah, well then who plays the role of victimis?

[Dennis]

Never you mind, Teehee. Original sound design and production is done by Henry Moskal with contributions from Jed Anderson and Tyler Thol. Original music for Wee Wow is composed and performed by Tyler Thole. Special thanks to Jessica Bode, Rebecca Caban, Dr. Natasha Crandall, Kenny Curtis, Lizzie Frail, Kristin Yang, Meredith Halpin, Ranzer, Twee Mac, Erica Medina, Henry Muskil, Jodi Nussbaum, Ali Paxima, Guy Raz, Linda Rothenberg, Steph Sosa, Mindy Thomas, Joanna Weber, Anna Zagorski and all of the other tinkerers at Tinkercast HQ. Be sure to visit Tinkercast.com where you can become an official member of the world organization of wowzers. Learn about upcoming events, shop our wow Shop, find our best selling books and learn about all the other amazing podcasts from Tinker Cast. Thanks again for hanging out in the basement this weekend. Be sure to check out episodes of wow in the World every Monday and remember who Wows.

[Reggie]

I wow. No, Baby Dennis. We wow.

[Mindy Thomas]

All right.

[Reggie]

We wow. Wow. Wow in the World was made by

[Mindy Thomas]

Tinkercast and sent to you by Wondery.