Young friends sitting on sand with beer
This may be the reason none of the local high-schoolers respect us.
According to new Science, it apparently doesn’t matter whether you’re Amy Winehouse or Paul Krugman: if you have alcohol in your hand, people will assume you are stupid. They will also judge you regardless of the type of alcohol you are holding; there’s no difference between an elegant glass of merlot and a nice cold Natty Ice.
A collaborative study between scientists at the University of Michigan and the University of Pensylvania found that people’s perceptions of others’ personalities were invariably shaped by whether or not they were seen with alcohol. In a multi-pronged experiment, the researchers found that people with alcohol were deemed stupider, less persuasive and less hire-able to employers. (In the last experiment, the study found that the effect was in evidence even if the potential employer was drinking as well.)
So maybe NewsFeed is going to stop taking our dates to bars and instead go someplace where our intellect can truly shine. Is there any research on the sociological implications of holding a cupcake? (via AOL News)