Perhaps no mental skill — as the New Zealand study found — matters as much in life success as executive control. Kids who can ignore impulse, filter out what’s irrelevant, and stay focused on a goal fare best in life. There’s an education app for that. It’s called “social and emotional learning,” or SEL. When second and third graders in a Seattle school are getting upset, they’re told to think of a traffic signal. Red light means stop — calm down. Take a long, deep breath and as you calm down a bit, tell yourself what the problem is and how you feel. The yellow light reminds them to slow down and think of several possible ways they might solve the problem, then choose which is best. The green light signals them to try out that plan, and see how it works.
— Focus: The Hidden Driver of Excellence (Daniel Goleman), Loc. 2531–6