Department of Psychology, Duke University, Durham, NC 27705, USA.
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2011 Feb 15;108(7):2693-8. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1010076108. Epub 2011 Jan 24.
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.
政策制定者正在考虑大规模的自我控制项目，以改善公民的健康、财富和减少犯罪。实验和经济研究表明，此类项目可能会带来收益。然而，自我控制对于人口的健康、财富和公共安全是否重要？我们对 1000 名儿童从出生到 32 岁进行了队列研究，结果表明，儿童时期的自我控制程度可以预测身体健康、物质依赖、个人财务和犯罪行为，呈梯度分布。儿童自我控制的影响可以与其智力和社会阶层以及他们在青少年时期犯的错误区分开来。在另一组 500 对兄弟姐妹中，尽管有共同的家庭背景，但自我控制能力较低的那个兄弟姐妹的结果更差。解决自我控制问题的干预措施可能会降低一系列社会成本，为纳税人节省资金，并促进繁荣。
