Good guys, it seems, do finish last -- outliving both their selfish, self-indulgent peers who prosper by stepping on others and their lazy, pampered, dropout peers, according to a recent study published in American Psychologist. Optimal qualities for long life included dependability and conscientiousness. The new study analyzed behavioral, health and death data on 1,528 U.S. men and women who had been part of the Terman Life-Cycle Study begun in 1921-22 to examine genetic theories of intelligence. In analyzing longevity, seven researchers, including Carol Tomlinson-Keasey, dean of the UC Davis College of Letters and Science and a psychology professor, concluded that psychosocial traits such as impulsivity, egocentrism, tough-mindedness and undependability were relevant to physical health and mortality. The trend was particularly evident for males in the study: "Children, especially boys, who were rated as prudent, conscientious, truthful and free from vanity lived significantly longer," according to the authors. And cheerfulness evidently has little to do with longevity. In fact, cheerful kids in the study, it turns out, as adults were more likely to drink, smoke and take risks, contributing to a risk of premature mortality.