Can a humble cuttlefish pass the famous Stanford marshmallow test designed for human children?

Ideas & Philosophy · Published 30 September 2026 · Updated 25 October 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: Cuttlefish are proving that self-control is not just for primates. In a groundbreaking experiment, these color-changing molluscs demonstrated the ability to delay gratification, choosing to wait for a superior meal rather than settling for an immediate snack. This discovery challenges our understanding of how intelligence evolves across different species.

The Stanford marshmallow test is a classic psychological experiment where children choose between an immediate, smaller reward or a delayed, better one. Researchers at the Marine Biological Laboratory, led by Alexandra Schnell and Roger Hanlon, adapted this test for the common cuttlefish. In their study, the animals were presented with a choice: strike immediately for a shrimp or wait for a more desirable crayfish. Remarkably, the cuttlefish successfully delayed gratification, tolerating wait times between 50 and 130 seconds.

This performance is comparable to that of large-brained vertebrates like chimpanzees, crows, and parrots. Beyond simple patience, the study revealed a clear correlation between self-control and cognitive ability. Cuttlefish that were quickest to learn associations between visual cues and food rewards were also the most capable of exerting self-control. This marks the first time such a link between learning performance and delayed gratification has been documented in an animal outside the primate lineage.

The evolutionary origins of this behavior remain a subject of investigation. In humans, delayed gratification is often linked to social bonding or tool use, but cuttlefish are neither social nor tool-builders. Instead, researchers speculate that this capacity is a byproduct of their survival strategy. Because cuttlefish spend most of their time camouflaged and vulnerable to predators when foraging, they may have evolved the ability to wait for higher-quality prey to optimize their limited time spent exposed. This finding serves as a striking example of convergent evolution, where distinct evolutionary paths produce similar cognitive traits.

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