What personal traits do you consider are the most important cornerstones to a “Good Life”?

I agree, it’s not an easy question, and yes, life quality is diminished without good health. So, what traits do healthy, successful people have that unhealthy, unsuccessful people don’t have.

According to cognitive scientist Steven Pinker "Together with intelligence, self-control turns out to be the best predictor of a successful and satisfying life."

If that holds true for you, it makes sense inversely what psychologist and author Jonice Webb PhD shares, “The only thing worse than struggling with self-discipline is serving that struggle up with a generous dollop of self-directed anger and self-blame.”

Self-discipline is often considered the foundation of success in many areas of life. However, very recently tenacity and persistence in the face of challenge has received increasing attention, particularly because it contributes to better academic achievement, career opportunities and health outcomes. Beyond the ability to control one's impulses and consistently stay focused on long-term goals, tenacity and persistence are essential, especially when faced with challenge.

A region in the brain called the Anterior Mid-Cingulate Cortex is where the focus has turned, and recently a lot of new data is revealing fascinating insights into how we tick on a neurological level. Some suggest this is possibly the greatest discovery in the history of neuroscience!

So why are scientists so excited about these recent revelations?  The expert’s historically proposed self-discipline is developed in childhood through our parents teaching us self-control from the limits they set. But -- and this is critical -- only if parents set those limits with empathy, explains Steven Pinker.  And if you didn’t develop it by adulthood, then you essentially missed the boat and were destined to have poor self-control and self-discipline throughout your life. So, our programming was thought to be preset and you needed some form of “reprograming” to be able to overcome this lack of self-discipline. 

What scientists are just now understanding is that the size of the Anterior Mid-Cingulate Cortex in individuals is strongly correlated with an individual’s level of self-discipline, tenacity and persistence.

When people do things they don’t want to do, like work out for an extra 3 hours per week, resist unhealthy foods and stick to a diet commitment, the Anterior Mid-Cingulate Cortex gets bigger. It is larger in people who saw themselves as challenged, and they have persisted to overcome the challenge. It’s smaller in obese people, yet it gets bigger when they stick to a diet. It’s bigger in athletes and it maintains its size in people who live a very long time. Scientists are starting to suggest that this area of the brain may in fact be the very seat of our will to live!   

So, the takeaway is, if you are a parent, getting your children to do chores (things they don’t naturally want to do) and setting those limits with empathy, you are giving your child a foundation for lifelong self-discipline and a higher probability of living a “Good Life”. And for those of us who feel we didn’t develop adequate self-discipline in childhood, it’s not too late to grow our Anterior Mid-Cingulate Cortex by doing things we don’t like regularly or by persisting to overcome a major challenge in our lives.  

At its core, self-discipline is the practice of prioritizing long-term benefits over short-term desires. When applied to health, self-discipline plays a pivotal role in making choices that contribute to a healthy body and mind. Consistently following a balanced diet, exercising regularly, and getting enough rest - yes saying no to late night Netflix binges - are all behaviours that require the steady hand of self-discipline. Without it, the allure of instant gratification—like unhealthy food or skipping workouts—can derail even the most well-intentioned plans. With self-discipline, we can overcome temptations and stay on track toward our health and other life goals.

Here is to you living your best life in 2025!

Joel Tyack