Cuttlefish Show Impressive Ability to Exert Self-Control, Study Finds

The results reveal the first evidence of a link between self-control and intelligence in a non-primate species.

Cuttlefish have the ability to exert self-control and delay gratification - a trait linked to higher intelligence - according to new research published in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B.

The study adapted the famous psychological test of self-control, the Stanford ‘marshmallow test’, which saw children presented with a choice: eat one marshmallow now for instant gratification, or wait and receive a delayed - but better - treat of two marshmallows.

Now, an adapted version of the ‘marshmallow test’ has found that cuttlefish show the same level of self-control as animals such as chimpanzees, parrots, and crows.

The test saw six common cuttlefish placed in a tank with two clear drawers. Behind one drawer, there was a preferred meal, and behind the other, there was a less preferred meal. The drawer with the less preferred meal always opened to the cuttlefish immediately, but the other drawer opened after a delay. They could only have their preferred meal if they waited and did not eat their less preferred meal.

“We wanted to see if they were able to exert self-control in a flexible manner depending on the context,” said lead author Dr. Alex Schnell, a behavioral ecologist from the University of Cambridge and lead researcher on the study.

All six cuttlefish were able to delay grabbing their snack for anywhere between 50 to 130 seconds - an ability comparable with large-brained animals like chimpanzees. Sometimes, the cuttlefish would even turn away from the available, less preferred meal "as if to distract themselves from the temptation of the immediate reward," Schnell said. 

The ability to exercise self-control, by resisting temptation in favor of a better but delayed reward, is a vital skill that underpins effective decision-making, goal-directed behavior, and future planning. 

Although researchers aren’t certain about the exact reasons for the cephalopods’ intelligence, they suspect it’s related to the way they gather their food.

“Cuttlefish spend most of their time camouflaging, sitting and waiting, punctuated by brief periods of foraging,” explained Schnell. “They break camouflage when they forage, so they are exposed to every predator in the ocean that wants to eat them. We speculate that delayed gratification may have evolved as a by-product of this, so the cuttlefish can optimize foraging by waiting to choose better quality food.”

Cuttlefish are known to be fascinating creatures, belonging to the class Cephalopoda, which also includes squid and octopuses. They’re characterized by their chalky, white shells, which often wash up along coastlines across Europe, Africa, Asia, and Australia.

Cuttlefish also have the extraordinary ability to shift their color to match their surroundings, even mimicking the texture and shape of objects around them. The cephalopods use this color-changing prowess to express their mood, attract a mate, and to confuse or hide from predators. 

As with many other aquatic animals, cuttlefish are intensively fished by the commercial fishing industry, with females even being used as a kind of bait to lure others into traps during the spawning season. Cuttlefish are also frequent bycatch victims - meaning they are caught ‘unintentionally’ by the fishing industry’s huge fishing nets. It’s estimated that over four million tons of bycatch are caught in bottom trawlers every single year.

Want to hear more about how vegan seafood is disrupting the food industry? Listen to the Species Unite chat with Chris Kerr, the Godfather of vegan venture capital and co-founder of Gathered Foods, known for its Good Catch plant-based seafood products.

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