7/1/2013
Children who demonstrate more self-control during their adolescence are more likely to be healthier, wealthier, and less likely to commit crimes than those children who demonstrate less self-control, even after accounting for social class and IQ, according to University of Chicago researchers.
The study followed children from birth to age 32 to find that those with poor self-control are more likely as adults to have alcohol and drug problems. Childhood self-control doesn’t predict the likelihood of becoming parents, but it does impact whether their children will be reared in one-parent versus two-parent households.
Children with less self-control are also less likely to save money and own homes and more likely to have credit problems.
Researchers find they can accurately predict the adult lives of children ages 3-5, and children with lower levels of self-control at that stage tend to get caught up in a downward cycle that traps them in harmful lifestyles. However, researchers add that just because their future at age three may seem more challenging, it is not destiny.
SOURCE: “A Gradient of Childhood Self-Control Predicts Health, Wealth, and Public Safety,” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the U.S., Avshalom Caspi, Author, Duke University, Psychology and Neuroscience, 229 Soc/Psych Bldg., Durham, NC 27705; 919-660-5708; avshalom.caspi@duke.edu; www.pnas.org.
© 2013 Business Valuation Resources, LLC (BVR). May not be reproduced without written consent of publisher.