Control your mind

If your children are well-behaved, do they stand a greater chance of having healthy, happy lives as adults?

A new study says yes.

After tracking just over 1,000 New Zealanders from birth to the age of 45, investigators found that kids who were goal-oriented and better able to restrain their thoughts, behavior and emotions turned out to have healthier bodies and brains by the time they hit middle age.

Makes sense.

"So many behaviors that contribute to poor health are the result of a relative inability to delay gratification," said Maddux, meaning the inability to forgo smaller, short-term rewards in favor of more substantial long-term rewards.

Examples of short-term indulgences, he noted, could include smoking, binge drinking, overeating, unsafe sex and going to parties in the midst of a pandemic.

Lung cancer, drunk driving, diabetes, STDs, COVID-19 -- such calamities can be mostly avoided with a large dose of willpower.

Just look at the biggest issue: food. Almost 75% of Americans are overweight or obese. Instead of getting proper nutrition, these people are basically poisoning themselves with junk food. Unless they drastically change their habits, they won't even make it to old age.