Bedeviled

Since the dawn of time, humans have wrestled with temptation. "I don't understand myself," St. Paul lamented in the 1st century. "I want to do what is right but I do not do it. Instead, I do the very thing I hate."

And that was before Krispy Kreme and Internet porn. If Paul were alive today, he'd really be tormented. Psychologists say America's "instant-gratification" culture has made resisting temptation harder than ever.

Just ask anyone who's holding out against a favorite vice during these last few days of Lent.

But researchers are discovering ways to boost willpower. Curiously, many of their methods echo what religious mystics taught centuries ago, with some modern twists thrown in.

Marshmallow experiment

At first glance, temptation might not seem like an urgent national problem. But experts say its tentacles weave through a host of social ills -- divorce, obesity, teen pregnancy, drug abuse, even general misery (studies show that people with strong self-control are happier).

In the 1970s, scientists at Stanford University used marshmallows to investigate temptation's power. Preschoolers were left alone with instructions that they could eat one marshmallow right away, or wait 15 minutes and get two marshmallows.

Some went for the immediate payoff; others held back, distracting themselves from the puffy white treat by singing, trying to sleep or covering their eyes.

A decade later, researchers tracked down the children and, according to news reports, found that those who had waited for the second marshmallow were smarter and more self-confident.

No surprise there, says psychologist Nick Baylis of Cambridge University. Although self-control might seem limiting, it actually "enables us to behave in line with our deepest principles and most treasured goals" by freeing us from "slavery to temporary appetites."

Unfortunately, second-marshmallow thinking has nose-dived in recent years.

In some quarters, temptation is embraced as a marketing tool. Fox built an entire TV show around the concept: "Temptation Island." And other companies have enshrined the word in product names for cereals, body lotions and fast food (Wendy's is rolling out a new line of sandwiches dubbed Chicken Temptations).