People with high self-control have a surprising behavioural trait of being shrewd and cruel according to various studies:

1. They are more likely to cover up an anti-social act to avoid getting caught, like for dangerous driving.
2. They ended up being keener to kill hundreds of bugs in a grinder, without any feeling of remorse.
3. They electrocuted their opponents in a TV game to a much higher degree than others, not knowing that the electrocution is being feigned by the contestant.

But more research needs to be done before we slot someone’s moral values and behavioural traits into predictable patterns.

People with high levels of self-control are generally seen to be healthy, well-rounded individuals who are ideally less likely to act violently or aggressively.

New research shows that this behaviour pattern may be to gain acceptance and tread the social norms as a means to one’s end, bein...