Sounds kind of ridiculous to me. LOL

Maybe it's also that people who earn more, can afford to go out and drink more?

As for me, I do find that a few rounds of Jameson do help keep me friendly towards coworkers

I go out a lot (not always drinking) and have met so many new people that way through common interests. I'm waiting to see where my contacts take me.

It would make sense that people who earn more can afford to drink more during social events.

I have never noticed...but now that you mention it.... Hey, I guess drinking DOES pay off! haha

When I was a teacher I didn't notice this, but I can imagine that it's very different for corporate environments.

I'm in a field where networking is so crucial and I wish I could go drinking, but I'm allergic to alcohol. And not a "I have low tolerance" type of allergy, more like a full-blown "I will be sent to the ER" type of allergy. So drinking isn't an option for me and it's be detrimental for me not just for business contacts but social networks as well. Even though I'm perfectly fine with drinking non-alcoholic beverages while going out with people who do want to drink, people are less inclined to include me in their outings just because they think it'll be weird to have the one person who can't drink in their group. Sometimes, it's helpful when I volunteer to be the DD, but not drinking is definitely something that works against me.

It my work it does. We have company happy hours and other industry events. if you don't go, you don't get noticed by the big wigs upstairs. It's a great way to meet people and earn that social capital that is definitely necessary when it comes time for promotions and raises. we would all like to think that this kind of stuff is just based on job performance but the reality is, it isn't. when it comes time for a promotion, the big boss guy will probably remember the person who socializes more than the girl/guy who doesn't.

And this holds especially true if you have female bosses because social capital is CRUCIAL with them.

Never, never thought about it, but another reason to have a cocktail.

So true for working in a hotel. Its funny explaining to friends and family that the reason I am drunk is for work reasons. One drink equals being a person who is no fun, too many drinks equals hot mess. The perfect buzz equals being invited to many social/net working events that people who never go out miss out on. Sucks for them but is great for me. Heck because of it I just got my sister a freakin awesome internship for the summer.

In my last career, it did. I used to meet my peers in the same industry (but different companies) for happy hour on a regular basis. We loved our careers, so we talked shop alot. Personally, I came across some BIG opportunities during those get-togethers. It was great.

As I remember from the book "Freakonomics", just because two sets of stats are linked doesn't mean one causes the other.

In other words, it's not the drinks, it's the socializing that is key here.

Drinking is a common thing people do to socialize. Socializing enhances social capital. Not drinking.

I'm sure it can be detrimental to social capital if you throw up on your bosses or if you're a violent drunk. Not everyone is as charming as they think they are while under the influence.

The article is so vague about how they did this so-called study. And even though they claim not to be funded by Budweiser or anything like that, they did this "study" specially to counter public policy dealing with drinking restrictions. Meaning they already had a conclusion in mind BEFORE doing the "study". Very unscientific.

Maybe if the study included stats on people who drink alcohol while socializing versus people who do not drink alcohol while doing the same amount of socializing, I'd be a little less skeptical. But people who go out to socialize versus people who stay home and keep to themselves? OF COURSE the advantage goes to the socializers.

I don't have anything against drinking in moderation. I just have something against crackpot "studies".

"I'm sure it can be detrimental to social capital if you throw up on your bosses or if you're a violent drunk."

That just reminded me of a story A company in which I used to be a manager used to treat its managers to yearly regional meetings at nice hotels in nice locations. Naturally, this led to a lot of after-hours shop-talk drinking.

(I missed the boat, because they hired me right after discontinuing this wonderful tradition.)

Apparently, one of my co-managers once got so drunk with colleagues that she pulled up her dress and peed in the bushes beside the hotel...right outside the windows of a conference room where our bosses were having a late meeting, giving them quite the show.

She didn't last very much longer in the company.

Drinking with co-workers can be a great thing, but getting totally slammed...not so much.

I have an Aunt who is now a successful prosecutor. She would socially drink a lot so as to mingle with other people in her field when she first started. Sadly she has health problems now because of her lifestyle.

My company had a work picnic about 2 years ago at a winery. WORST IDEA EVER! Everyone got roaring drunk and on the buses home (they had 2 buses as the winery was about 30 min away) 8 people got in fights, one co-worker locked himself in the bathroom and wouldn't come out, like a million people threw up. we were probably banned from the winery. It was SO embarassing. I don't drink (bad history) so I was like the only sober person there, so really the only person that truly remembers it all!

I would have thought the opposite. I view social drinking as the time to drown my work sorrows via kvetching and complaining-I had no idea this was actually a savvy money making strategy, hee hee.

Huh. I'm not a drinker so this probably wouldn't work out so well for me. I guess these people could be more social and they could be people who use happy hour as a time to create work friendships which could help them on their way to the top.

Maybe people who have more money have more to spend going out.

OH, this is a funny topic. It does make cents (stupid joke sorry) to me though.

People who have at least one drink loosen up a little and makes others relax around you too.

I don’t know about that, hartsfull: maybe it just makes them seem more relaxed, since most drinkers’ preconception of non-drinkers is “stuffy, uptight, no fun” etc. The person with the drink in their hand may not be any more fun to know, but they will be regarded as more approachable compared to the non-drinker.
Besides, most people seem to take this “strategy” way overboard, getting sloppy drunk and doing things they should be glad they can not remember.

LOL! Yeah, no doubt!

I think it all can go any direction really. Good point though.

i agree with looseseal. Besides, one can go to happy hours and be teetotal. It's the socializing that counts. and if that puts people off, then maybe one's not in the best environment?

I'd be curious to see if the study followed people that just attended the happy hour vs. those that actually had a drink. I've been telling my coworkers that they have to interact socially to be well-known, but you never HAVE to have an alcoholic beverage.

I definately think it's the other way around and people who earn more drink more. I think the top earners are in high pressure, high stress jobs and therefore drink more to relax. Also, in the top earning jobs, it is commonplace for business associates to go out for dinner and have a drink or two while discussing business. There are just more opportunities to drink.

It's pretty logical to me. I think social drinking can easily be considered a small luxury. People who make more and also have a tendency to drink are likely to spend some of their money on it.

What a ridiculous statement.

Who are the "economists", who did they study; number of people, where in the country, what age, was this a blind study, did they have a control group, how long was the study, where are the results printed...

it's just being able to be socialized with coworkers plus it when people really dish and you find out about what's coming down the pipeline. Now you must be able to know your limit because it can be a slippery slope. But letting your hair down doesn't me letting your panties down. I've been to Raiders and A's games, fancy dinners, to dives where deals are made...you get to network with others in your field and in this economy you need all the friends you can handle. I want to take up golf just for the networking.

Yes, drinking can make almost anyone bond, which in turn can help your networking!

I think that in any work-social setting, its important to be there, be seen taking part, and get your name known. I don't think its the fact that people consume alcohol, but the fact that the happy-hour crew is getting together regularly means that they are at the fore-front of thier peers' minds when projects and promotions come up.

At my office, its being at the group lunches.

Well I drink like a fish and I'm flat broke so I guess you could say that I havent noticed this.

i think it has to do with social situations, like someone who networks more is more likely to move up. They've also proved that alcoholics usually have higher IQs, it has to do with stress though.

Remember the old Friends episode where Rachel felt out of place at the company she was working at, because she did not smoke? All the social chit chat that occured on those smoke breaks was part of their networking and theoretically where some deals and decisions were made.

No doubt it would work the opposite way if the boss was a non-smoker...but I think the drinking thing is indicative of both the idea that social "after work" drinkers of the white collar persuasion probably use it as both a networking mechanism as well as it being a common after work practise for traditionally high-paying white collar jobs in the city.

Of course I could turn this around and say that a lot of people who "go for a pint" in the UK are not the top earners, at least in Scotland it was definitively a mix of people at all ranges of economic status.

Which makes me wonder...how demographics (Country, state, and city) would affect a poll taken on this very subject. My bet is that it would.

I think it's definitely essential to moving up, at least in my industry. Working in the beauty industry, there are always photographers and models wanting to go out after shoots, vendors wanting to relax after stressful days, all kinds of different scenarios. When you go out with people in your field, you're much more likely to hear of things before they're announced publicly and people are a lot more likely to remember you if they know you socially as well as in the workplace. I think employers want to know they have good networkers on their team. I've met so many people in my field just by going out even.

It's definitely the going out and socializing part that makes people more successful and higher earners. The drinking is just incidental.