HQ Team
May 9, 2025: A new study suggests that a person’s ability to maintain positive emotions could reduce the risk of alcohol-related harm—independent of how much they drink. Published in Alcohol: Clinical and Experimental Research, the study found that college students who started drinking in a negative mood were more likely to experience blackouts, fights, or drunk driving. In contrast, those with a positive mindset—or the ability to “savor” enjoyable moments—faced fewer problems, even with similar drinking patterns.
Key findings
Researchers analyzed 7,500 real-time smartphone surveys from 160 college students (aged 18–24) who engaged in hazardous drinking. Participants were asked to report their moods and drinking behaviors four times daily for two weeks. Happy, excited, calm, relaxed, or grateful feelings were considered a ‘positive affect’; sad, anxious, angry, lonely, or stressed feelings indicated ‘negative affect’. The students’ capacity to savor the happy moments was also analyzed via questions and suggestion
Key insights:
Negative mood amplified risks: Students drinking after feeling sad, anxious, or stressed had a 75% higher chanceof immediate problems like fights, injuries, driving under the influence, nausea or blackouts.
Positive mood acted as a buffer: While momentary happiness didn’t prevent problems, students with an overall positive outlook had fewer alcohol-related issues long-term.
“Savoring” mattered: Those who actively prolonged positive experiences (e.g., relishing good moments) reported fewer problems, regardless of drinking quantity.
Why it matters
The link between alcohol use and alcohol-related problems is intuitive; meta-analyses have shown that drinking explains <20% of the variance in problems. This suggests that other factors play an important role in when and for whom drinking leads to problems.
Alcohol treatment programs often focus on managing negative emotions (e.g., stress, depression). This study highlights that cultivating positivity, through mindfulness, gratitude, or behavioral therapy, could be equally critical in reducing harm. Dr. Sarah Pedersen (University of Colorado), a co-author, emphasized: “Teaching students to cope with negativity and amplify positivity could be a game-changer in harm reduction.”
“The ability to savor good experiences may promote behavioral flexibility, helping students make safer choices even when drinking,” the authors noted, referencing psychological theories on emotional resilience.
Alcoholism and mental health
Globally, 3 million deaths yearly are linked to alcohol misuse (WHO, 2022). Prior research ties depression and anxiety to higher alcohol dependency risks. Interventions like cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and positive psychology exercises show promise in reducing risky drinking.
The present study comes with certain demographic constraints. The cohorts were 70% female, predominantly white participants may limit generalizability.
Also delayed consequences (e.g., academic or health impacts) were not tracked.
