Health, Wealth & Freedom: How Self Control can help to secure them all

In 2011 Moffit et al published an academic paper claiming that childhood self-control was a factor in predicting adult physical health, substance dependence, personal finances and criminal offending outcomes.

Moffit et al’s study involved 1000 participants over a 32 year period (from the Dunedin Multidisciplinary Health and Development Study 1972 - 2004), meaning that participants were involved from the age of 0 years to the age of 32 years.

Participants in the study were a representative socioeconomic make-up of the area from which they were selected (New Zealand’s South Island) and they were primarily white. This means that the impact that a person’s non-white ethnicity, and how this part of their identity affects their lives and opportunity to develop self-control cannot be inferred from this particular study

Social class, which affects how well people are able to achieve good health, wealth and keep themselves away from criminal behaviour was accounted for during the study. Even taking this into account, childhood self-control was the factor which dramatically influenced outcomes, more so than IQ and social class.

Many participants, by the age of 10 years were starting to master self-control and apply it to every day actions. Some however, were not. Over the 32 year study period, it became apparent that those adults who, as children had not mastered self-control were more likely to be involved in criminal behaviour, more likely to have poor physical health, more likely to suffer from substance dependency and more likely to have poor personal finances.

Practically, this means that children who displayed self-control grew into adults who were able to delay gratification, control impulses and modulate emotional expression well.

They were less likely to seek immediate gratification through alcohol, smoking, substance abuse and fatty, unhealthy foods. Self-control also leads to longer lasting and more constructive relationships through the ability to modulate emotional expression well and to control impulses.

In short, Moffit et al found that self-control is a vital component of a healthy and happy life. At ReachOut we have always focused on self-control as one of our key character values (alongside fairness, good judgement and staying power). Young people involved in our mentoring projects take part in a range of activities to help them to develop and improve skills to practice self-control throughout their day to day lives.

Our mentoring projects have always been about equipping young people with both the academic and character skills they will need to succeed and be happy in the future. It is always a pleasure to find articles and studies that support what we do as an organisation.

Frances Pearson
Manchester