Rethinking Delay of Gratification: Developmental Changes in Self-Regulation Across Five Countries

The ability to delay gratification (DoG) is widely regarded as a hallmark of self-regulation and has been linked to positive developmental and health outcomes. It remains unclear whether age-related improvements in DoG reflect delay-specific control processes or broader developmental changes in children’s regulation of consumption. In a preregistered, cross-cultural remote experiment, we examined whether children would consume less in a DoG context than in spontaneous intake, whether inhibitory control accounted for developmental improvements in delay performance, and whether delay performance related to health outcomes such as body mass index (BMI) and health-related quality of life (HRQoL). Children from Brazil, China, Germany, Italy, and Slovenia (N = 186; (87 female), ages 5–10 years) completed the experiment. The results showed that children consumed significantly less in the DoG condition than in spontaneous intake, and that consumption decreased with age in both conditions. Age-related reductions were stronger in the DoG context, indicating both general and delay-specific developmental effects. Inhibitory control effects on consumption were stronger at younger ages and predicted lower consumption across both conditions but did not mediate age-related improvements in delay time. This suggested that inhibition contributes to general consumption regulation rather than uniquely explaining waiting ability. Delay performance was not associated with BMI or HRQoL. Findings were consistent across countries. The results indicate that developmental gains in DoG reflect broader maturation of consumption regulation rather than solely enhanced delay-specific control, and demonstrate the feasibility of remote, cross-cultural assessment of self-regulation.