The Predictive Power of Self-Control for Life Outcomes

The stability of self-control in a population-representative study

“…Given that self-control has been linked to a wide range of social and economic outcomes (see Moffitt et al, 2011;de Ridder et al, 2012;Cobb-Clark et al, 2021), our results have important policy implications. In particular, the stability of self-control implies that those with high self-control are likely to consistently make decisions that are aligned with their long-term goals, achieving greater overall well-being as a result.…”

“…The BSCS is a domain-general measure of trait self-control with high internal consistency (Tangney et al, 2004), test-retest reliability (Tangney et al, 2004;Bertrams and Dickhäuser, 2009), and predictive validity (de Ridder et al, 2012). Importantly, people's BSCS scores are highly predictive of their physical, mental, and financial well-being (Cobb-Clark et al, 2021).…”

Locus of control, self-control, and health outcomes

“…An internal locus of control and greater self-control have each been linked, for example, to better labor market outcomes, greater financial wellbeing, as well as a healthier lifestyle and physical and mental wellbeing (see, e.g., Cobb-Clark, 2015;Cobb-Clark et al, 2016;Duckworth and Seligman, 2005;Mofitt et al, 2011;Tangney et al, 2004;Cobb-Clark et al, 2022). Both relate to people's sense of control and are therefore sometimes used interchangeably.…”

“…Once we add self-control to the model, we find that-as expected-greater self-control is significantly related to improved physical health, better mental health and wellbeing, and lower likelihood of unhealthy behaviors (cf., e.g., Stutzer & Meier, 2015;Strulik, 2018;Johnston et al, 2021, Cobb-Clark et al, 2022. Importantly, the inclusion of self-control also impacts the coefficient estimate of locus of control: In almost all cases, adding self-control to the model reduces the locus of control coefficient in absolute terms, suggesting that self-control mediates part of the relationship between locus of control and health.…”

“…Consequently, greater self-control has been linked to a wide range of favorable life outcomes, similar to internal locus of control. Higher self-control is associated, for example, with more education, greater labor market success and financial wellbeing, as well as a healthier lifestyle and physical and mental wellbeing (Duckworth and Seligman, 2005;Moffitt et al, 2011;Tangney et al, 2004;Boals et al, 2011;Cobb-Clark et al, 2022). Thus, while locus of control and self-control are distinct concepts (Peterson and Stunkard, 1992;Ajzen, 2002), their importance in predicting people's life success is common to both.…”