Policy-makers are considering large-scale programs aimed at self-control to improve citizens’ health and wealth and reduce crime. Experimental and economic studies suggest such programs could reap benefits. Yet, is self-control important for the health, wealth, and public safety of the population?
Following a cohort of 1,000 children from birth to the age of 32 y, we show that childhood self-control predicts physical health, substance dependence, personal finances, and criminal offending outcomes, following a gradient of self-control.
Effects of children's self-control could be disentangled from their intelligence and social class as well as from mistakes they made as adolescents.
In another cohort of 500 sibling-pairs, the sibling with lower self-control had poorer outcomes, despite shared family background.
Interventions addressing self-control might reduce a panoply of societal costs, save taxpayers money, and promote prosperity.
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