Binge drinking college kids high on social status

Best advice for that tough high school to college transition: Practice funneling beer and downing Jell-O shots. A new study presented at the American Sociological Association found that binge-drinking college students are happier than their teetotaling counterparts. Researchers questioned 1,595 students at a “small Northeastern liberal arts college” that shall remain nameless (perhaps to guard against mountains of applications pouring in), and found that binge drinking was the ticket to social status, and elevated status meant higher social satisfaction. While the study’s author is quick to point out that binge drinking’s not the smartest way to find happiness, earlier research shows that a couple of beers can improve test scores – so keep it at two and you’ll do just fine.