Self-Consciousness Linked to Increased Binge Drinking in Teens

Recent research reveals a significant link between self-consciousness and binge drinking among teenagers.

Socially anxious young people are found to engage in binge drinking more often, though this behavior typically lessens as they grow older and develop greater confidence.

Study Insights

A study published in the journal Alcohol: Clinical and Experimental Research shows that people with higher levels of self-consciousness are more prone to binge drinking.

Interestingly, the research indicates that these drinking patterns often decrease as people mature, according to findings from a psychological study.

The research team, led by Jiaxu Han, a doctoral candidate at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, suggested that self-conscious people may be more sensitive to societal expectations and norms.

This heightened awareness may drive them to drink more during their late teens and early twenties—a time when heavy drinking is common among peer groups.

As they age and social drinking norms change, their consumption usually declines.

Research Methodology

To conduct the study, researchers gathered nearly 250 socially drinking participants in their twenties and invited them to a controlled laboratory setting.

Here, they completed questionnaires assessing their drinking habits.

Participants were then given a beverage made with soda and 100-proof vodka, designed to achieve a blood alcohol concentration of 0.08%—the threshold for binge drinking as defined by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism.

After consuming the drink, participants participated in a four-minute video conversation with both a familiar friend and an unfamiliar stranger, allowing them to see both their own face and that of the other person on the screen.

Researchers closely tracked participants’ eye movements to determine the amount of time spent looking at themselves compared to the other person.

Their analysis showed that increased self-focus during these interactions was linked to a higher number of binge drinking days reported by participants.

Specifically, for every 1% increase in time spent looking at themselves, there was a corresponding 1.3% increase in reported binge drinking days.

Conversely, a 1% decrease in time spent observing the other person was associated with a 1.1% decrease in binge drinking days.

Conclusions and Implications

Follow-up assessments demonstrated that as participants aged, the time spent focusing on themselves during conversations had a significant negative correlation with their binge drinking habits.

Notably, those who exhibited more self-conscious eye patterns experienced an annual decline in binge drinking days exceeding 50%, compared to an average reduction of less than 40% for the overall group.

Researchers acknowledged that their findings do not clarify the direction of this relationship.

It remains unclear whether increased drinking acts as a coping mechanism for feelings of awkwardness or if heavy drinking contributes to such feelings, potentially leading to further mental health issues like anxiety or depression.

For more information on binge drinking, resources are available from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism.

Reference: Han, J., et al. (2024).

Examining social attention as a predictor of problem drinking behavior: A longitudinal study using eye‐tracking. Alcohol, Clinical and Experimental Research.

DOI: 10.1111/acer.15490 .

Study Details:

• Title: Examining social attention as a predictor of problem drinking behavior: A longitudinal study using eye‐tracking
• Authors: Jiaxu Han et al.
• Journal: Alcohol: Clinical and Experimental Research
• Publication Date: 2024
• DOI: 10.1111/acer.15490