Britons have been boozers and scrappers for centuries, but self-destructive behaviour today in part reflects the perception that their lives are not worth much.
Another example of far-sighted behaviour and self-control is the investment that people make in their own health by adopting new lifestyles.
These include weak self-regulation, inappropriate behaviour and conflict.
"It is particularly important because newspapers have played, and continue to play, a fundamental role in our democratic life, " said Patten, who called for some kind of self-regulatory code of behaviour akin to the Hippocratic Oath.
Laura's and Karen's experiences echo the findings of a trial in north Wales, which showed that Incredible Years reduced anti-social and hyperactive behaviour in children and improved their self-control.
In their particular case they chose a game that involved four people who had never met (and who interacted via a computer) making decisions about their own self-interest that involved assessing the behaviour of others.
The trouble with such views, usually based on anecdote rather than evidence, is that with manners and behaviour they can become a self-fulfilling prophecy.
But for all three, the root of poor behaviour often lies in pupil's poor self-esteem.
BBC: NEWS | UK | Education | Teachers reflect on disciplining
But the problem is they're making it the centrepiece of public health, whereas it is the wider conditions that actually shape health and behaviour, including taxation, education and improving self-esteem.
Like rationality, self-interest (even when broadly defined) fails to capture some aspects of social behaviour, but not so many as to render models based on the notion useless.
Contrary to the impression that this might be a way of gaining attention, Ms Minto said a large majority of self-harmers did so secretly, without their family or friends being aware of their behaviour.
In the 200 years since Kant, a key principle of ethics has been that motivation must be free of self-interest, and intrinsically good, if it is to be recommended as a guide for behaviour.
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