Cuttlefish think ahead, ‘marshmallow test’ reveals

Eat one marshmallow now — or wait a few minutes and get two? This famous behavioural test is supposed to distinguish between impulsive children and those more likely to think through their actions — and thus, do better in academic life. Now, scientists have given a similar test to cuttlefish, The New York Times reports. Replacing the marshmallow with a shrimp, researchers gave the molluscs the option to eat two shrimp now — or eat one shrimp with the promise of an extra reward. Most of the cuttlefish chose the latter, researchers report in Royal Society Open Science. The find suggests that — like people — these molluscs can delay gratification if they think it will pay off in the long run.