If you count all your assets, you always show a profit. ~Robert Quillen
Unrealistic optimism about drinking behavior can lead to later alcohol-related problems, according to research published in Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin.
Researchers interviewed 800 college students several times over two years about whether their drinking resulted in hangovers, memory loss or trouble with police. They found that those who believed that they had a smaller chance than other students of having a drinking problem were actually the ones most likely to later experience problems.
Some research has suggested that unrealistic optimism is beneficial because it motivates people to take care of their health. The data in the study suggests the opposite.
“This is the first study to demonstrate unrealistic optimism at the individual level, in college student drinkers, about the likelihood of experiencing future problems with alcohol,” wrote the study authors.