A little guilt can be a good thing for a kid, right? If children feel guilty about something, they might think twice about doing it again. According to a 12-year study, though, too many guilty feelings as a kid can lead to a host of pretty serious problems as an adult.

Researchers analyzed 145 school-aged children for the study, measuring their anterior insula—part of the brain associated with a whole host of problems such as schizophrenia, depression and mood disorders. They also asked the children’s teachers if any showed signs of excessive guilt: Kids apologizing repeatedly for little things or still feeling horrible about something that happened a long time ago. As it turns out, children with overactive guilt complexes had smaller anterior insulas than kids who felt less guilty.

“This research suggests that early childhood experiences impact the way the brain develops,” says Joan Luby, one of the study’s authors. (The Atlantic)

Paul Asay has written for The Washington Post, Christianity Today, Beliefnet.com and The (Colorado Springs) Gazette. He writes about culture for PluggedIn and wrote the Batman book God on the Streets of Gotham (Tyndale). He recently collaborated with Jim Daly, president of Focus on the Family, on his book The Good Dad. He lives in Colorado Springs with wife, Wendy, and his two children. Check out his entertainment blog or follow him on Twitter.