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Self-restraint is often a trait seen in humans and certain animals with large brains. However, a new study revealed that the tiny brains of cockatoos, a mainly white bird from Indonesia exhibited signs of self restraint in order to experience delayed satisfaction. This study, published in the Journal Of Biology Letters reveals that brain size in animal does not determine the trait for self-restraint.

The researchers from the University of Vienna experimented on 14 cockatoos. The researchers presented each cockatoo with a pecan nut and a cashew nut. The pecan nut was considered to be less desirable, and thus it was directly given to the birds.The birds had to hold the pecan nut in their mouths during the entire waiting time. The cashew nut was the highly desirable food item and was placed within eyesight of the birds. The birds learned that if they waited 80 seconds without nibbling at the pecan nub, they would receive the cashew as a reward for self-restraint.

"Imagine placing a cookie directly into a toddler's mouth and telling him/her that he/she will only receive a piece of chocolate if the cookie is not nibbled for over a minute," said lead author Alice Auersperg. A video clip of one of the cockatoos, Muppet, reveals the tiny bird's ability to wait for the better option.

The researchers compared this study to a study done in the 1970s called the Stanford Marshmallow experiment. During the Stanford Marshmallow experiment, researchers tested the self-restraint of human toddlers. The children were given a marshmallow and were told that if they waited before eating it, they would receive a second marshmallow. Later studies found a positive correlation between a child's self restraint and adulthood success.

Based from this understanding that self-restraint might lead to better success later on in life, the discovery of the cockatoo's brain ability to retrain itself suggests that the bird might have similar adaptation skills. This self-restraint shown in the birds might or could have already helped them survive in the wild. However, the researchers could not conclude the actual influence of self-restraint on the birds.