Editing Openai/6924b54f-afb4-8000-8b8b-95d58ba4a049 (section)

=== ## ===

People with high IQs still:
* overspend
* procrastinate
* get into destructive relationships
* misuse substances
* sabotage long-term plans

Intellect doesn’t help if someone consistently acts on the first internal urge.

A sharper mind simply creates sharper rationalizations.

Poor impulse control neutralizes high intelligence.

==== There’s decades of data here (Mischel marshmallow test follow-ups, Dunedin cohort study, OECD behavior research). ====
Not perfect studies — but incredibly consistent directionally.

Higher impulse control →
* better financial outcomes
* fewer addictions
* more stable relationships
* better long-term health
* fewer legal issues
* higher educational completion
* lower risk-taking behavior

The effect size often rivals socioeconomic status.

IQ predicts academic performance better than life outcomes.

==== Most harmful life choices happen fast: ====
* Saying something destructive in anger
* Spending impulsively
* Cheating
* Quitting a job prematurely
* Breaking a routine
* Giving in to cravings

In these moments, IQ is mostly irrelevant.
Impulse control is everything.

==== Self-regulation includes: ====
* emotional control
* impulse control
* planning
* consistency
* follow-through
* the ability to pause and think

This cluster — often labeled executive function — is far more predictive of life stability than intelligence.