Marriage can kill the criminal in you
September 27th, 2011 - 12:54 pm ICT by IANSSydney, Sep 27 (IANS) Marriage can help reduce crime by enabling people to develop greater self-control.
Walter Forrest, criminologist, Monash University and associate professor Carter Hay from Florida State University found that young marijuana users who went on to marry were less likely to have continued using the drug than those who remained single.
The research also uncovered a key reason for the change that was, those who married also experienced significant improvements in self-control.
“Self-control is one of the strongest predictors of differences between people in terms of their involvement in crime,” said Forrest, the journal Criminology and Criminal Justice reports.
“People who avoid taking risks can easily defer gratification and have little trouble controlling their impulses are much less likely to commit a variety of offences,” added Forest, according to a Monash statement.
The study was based on the analyses of the 1997 National Longitudinal Survey of Youth, a nationally-representative survey of American adolescents and young adults.
Many criminologists have assumed that marriage helps reduce crime because married people feel they have more to lose by committing crime.
- Religion gives people more self-control - Jan 25, 2012
- Peer pressure drives juvenile cybercrimes - Jun 24, 2011
- Misplaced motivation could bring on failures - Mar 15, 2012
- Most people 'willing to pay to reduce identity theft' - Mar 20, 2011
- Thinking won't help you resist temptation - Oct 27, 2011
- Sports help cool aggression among boys - Jul 07, 2011
- 'Self-controlled' Indians are cautious shoppers - Oct 21, 2009
- Childhood eczema ups adult allergic asthma risk nine fold - Apr 16, 2011
- Binge drinking increases impulsive behavior in males - Nov 17, 2010
- Talking to yourself is good, say scientists - Sep 24, 2010
- Self-control could turn toddlers into healthier and wealthier adults: Study - Jan 25, 2011
- Blame genes for adolescents' antisocial behaviour, victimisation - May 15, 2009
- Loss of self-control in old age may lead to problem gambling - Jul 21, 2009
- Functional anomalies in brain linked to alcohol-dependence impulsivity - Apr 16, 2011
- Risk of marijuana's 'gateway effect' overblown - Sep 02, 2010
Tags: american adolescents, associate professor, control self, criminal justice reports, criminologist, criminologists, criminology, florida state university, gratification, impulses, little trouble, marijuana users, monash university, national longitudinal survey, national longitudinal survey of youth, professor carter, representative survey, self control, significant improvements, young adults