Disciplining our sons to be tidy was futile. As they were growing up, I tried the Family-Teamwork, the Because-I-Said-So, and the If-It-Isn’t-In-The-Hamper-I-Won’t-Wash-It techniques, without success.

Self-regulation is the ability to notice that your emotions are revving up and calm down before acting impulsively. The ability to stop oneself from acting on impulses takes quite a while to develop.

A new study suggests that if your aim is changing bad habits, you can build self-control by focusing on increasing your well-being.