Time Preference Rate. “The Marshmallow Tale” by Joachim de Posada and Ellen Singer describes the “Marshmallow Experiment” at Stanford University. The experimenter left the child alone in the room and gave the child a marshmallow, instructing the child to eat it immediately. However, if the child did not eat it within 15 minutes, the experimenter would give the child another marshmallow. Some children waited the full 15 minutes, while others stopped waiting early. These two groups were followed for 14 years, and as a result, the more patient children showed better social and mental abilities. Those who cannot tolerate waiting are said to have a high time preference rate, while those who are patient are described as having a low time preference rate. In investment, high and low time preference ratios are not necessarily good or bad because many investments depend on luck. The key is to find and stick to methods and principles that match one’s own tendencies. - Joseph’s “just my thoughts”
Cotton needs 500 mm of water to produce cotton wool, and 1 kg of cotton wool requires 8,500 liters of water to fill 40 baths. A fashion company can make a pair of jeans from this. It needs at least 2,700 liters of water to create a T-shirt. This amount is enough for one person to use as drinking water for three years. Clothing consumption has recently increased by an average of 60% each year on Earth. The Aral Sea in Uzbekistan was the fourth-largest lake in the world, but it has now shrunk to one-tenth of its original size, as river water has been used to grow cotton due to increased consumption. Few people are concerned about how their consumption affects the global environment. - Joseph’s “just my thoughts”