Religion and self control

An article in the New York Times yesterday says that two psychologists have reviewed eight decades of research and concluded that religion is good for self control.

The rituals that religions have been encouraging for thousands of years seem to be a kind of anaerobic workout for self-control.”

Religious people have been arguing that for a long time, but now there is some science to back it up.

Benjamin Franklin was not religious but supported organized religion because he thought it socially useful. I wonder if he also had the insight that religion contributed to self control.