Time Preferences, Non-cognitive Skills and Well-being across the Life Course: Do Non-cognitive Skills Encourage Healthy Behavior

A number of prominent diseases are influenced by health behaviors. For example, it is well-known that the decision to smoke comes with considerable risks of developing smoking-related ailments such as lung cancer, emphysema, and heart disease. Obesity is another health condition that can be costly. It is associated with increased risk for diseases such as coronary heart disease and diabetes (Centers for Disease Control 2009). Nationally, it is estimated that about one-third of the U.S. population is obese, and estimates suggest that obesity costs society anywhere from $27 to $47 billion in health care expenditures annually (Centers for Disease Control 2009, National Center for Health Statistics 2008). Research suggests that changing individuals ’ diets and getting them to exercise would help to reduce the prevalence of obesity in society (Melayne McInnes and Judith Shinogle, 2009). Smoking and obesity provide just two examples of cases in which the nation’s burden of disease is influence by behaviors that its citizens engage in. Because the United States spends a large share of GDP on health care each year, understanding the determinants of health behaviors is important, as it may allow scholars to identify ways to reduce these costs. This paper examines the relationship between individuals ’ health behaviors and the “non-cognitive ” skills tha