How Drinking in Your 20s Can Boost Your Salary

Published 20 Nov 2025 at 16:52

Bingo.

Maybe you can stay a little longer on that aw with a clear conscience.

– Another round?

Absolutely.

Especially if you’re in your 20s and aiming high.

A new study from the University of Oslo shows that those who partied the most in their 20s often succeed best in their careers – and earn more money, reports the Gothenburg Post.

– It surprises many that drinking alcohol seems to have a connection with success, says sociologist Willy Pedersen to the newspaper.

Willy Pedersen and his colleagues have followed just over 3,000 people for 18 years – from their teens to the, feared by many, turning 30.

And the result – or the conclusion – may be somewhat unexpected.

Clear connection

Those who got drunk regularly in their 20s had, on average, higher wages and education later in life.

– The connection was clear. Those who drank the most had the least risk of being long-term unemployed or needing social benefits, says Pedersen to GP.

But the researchers emphasize that it is not the alcohol itself. But it is about other factors: That alcohol “functions as a social lubricant” that makes you “drop your shoulders”, which can lead to networking and new opportunities, according to Pedersen.

Not entirely unexpected, perhaps.

For those who start drinking really early, on the other hand, the relationship is the opposite – there it fared significantly worse on average, according to the study.

Worth thinking about, according to the researcher

GP has spoken to a range of – successful – profiles about their outdoor habits at a young age.

Entrepreneur Lena Apler, one of the “dragons” in SVT’s “Draknästet”, remembers her student days.

– We went to clubs, but I mostly drank coke and danced. But if I remember correctly, there wasn’t that much alcohol in the picture actually. We probably mostly drank coke and danced, she tells GP.

– Many people become bolder after a few glasses of wine and perhaps dare to talk to strangers.