Self-control as a predictor of success

Other than talent and fortuity (and sheer luck), why are some people more successful than others? 

This psychology literature review offers novel insights regarding the determinants of both everyday success and extraordinary individual achievement: 

Other than talent and opportunity, what makes some people more successful than others? One important determinant of success is self-control – the capacity to regulate attention, emotion, and behavior in the presence of temptation. A second important determinant of success is grit – the tenacious pursuit of a dominant superordinate goal despite setbacks. Self-control and grit are strongly correlated, but not perfectly so. 

Self-control entails aligning actions with any valued goal despite momentarily more-alluring alternatives; grit, in contrast, entails having and working assiduously toward a single challenging superordinate goal through thick and thin, on a timescale of years or even decades. Although both self-control and grit entail aligning actions with intentions, they operate in different ways and at different time scales. 

This paper reminds us that the capacity to regulate emotion, attention and behavior is fundamental to everyday success. Their review highlights that higher levels of self-control earlier in life predict later academic achievement and attainment. The capacity to exercise self-control also appears to improve from childhood through adulthood, in synergy with maturation of prefrontal brain areas and metacognitive refinement. Good habits are therefore better instilled at a young age. 

“Grit” makes sense as a predictor of success as it is defined as the completion of challenging goals (or one dominant subordinate goal) despite ongoing obstacles and set-backs. Nevertheless since much of human behavior is goal-directed, (and these goals are often hierarchically organised), the authors neglect the importance of the goal’s inherent feasibility and desirability. It’s great to exercise good cognitive and behavioral strategies, but one has to have a realistic goal to begin with. 

Also “extraordinary achievement” and “success” are purely subjective terms: success is defined by the individual and “determinants” of success require a robust integrative framework that look beyond just improved socioeconomic status or academic attainment. Nevertheless it seems that self-control and similar qualities can have a positive effect on an individual’s life in areas such as employment, earnings, savings, and physical and mental health.