Students imitate drinking

Is it a good example to follow? It turns out that people unconsciously imitate drinking behavior of people in their surrounding.

In her doctoral research, a psychologist Helle Larsen has shown that students drink more in a group of heavy drinkers than when they are with a group of light or non-drinkers. The influence of the other drinkers to the drinking behavior is also determined by the genetic vulnerability. This vulnerability is dependent on a dopamine-related gene. Gender and stress play no role in the influence others have on one’s drinking behavior.

For her study Larsen assessed over 500 students between 18 and 26 years old. A fake pub at the University of Nijmegen was a laboratory. The students thought they are going for a break to celebrate. In the pub there was a hired actor who immediately started drinking alcohol.

Imitating drinking behavior is not limited to seeing drinking friends. Even when strangers have a glass of beer in their hand, other people unconsciously imitate this behaviour. However, the content of the glass matters. Imitation of drinking alcohol happens more often than non-alcoholic soft drinks.