Scientists Finally Figured Out Exactly How Much Fun It Is To Get Drunk

Alcohol may technically be a depressant, but why would people go out drinking if it wasn't fun? Scientists at the London School of Economics undertook the very important research of determining exactly how happy people are when they're drunk. The answer? Alcohol is definitely not a buzzkill.

The fairly simple study involved analyzing real-time data gathered by the Mappiness app, which literally tracked users' happiness levels based on multiple factors, including the amount of alcohol drank. Of the 20-30,000 people who tracked their happiness using the app in 2012 and 2013, the average inebriated person was 10.79 points happier than those who had not drank any alcohol.

This makes sense given that, on the whole, partying and drinking is a social activity, and people are happier when they're around friends and family. But when you take away social factors, alcohol still makes us about four points happier than being sober. This difference was still pretty significant, researchers said.

"Drinking had the greatest impact when it came alongside otherwise unenjoyable activities (traveling/commuting, waiting), and only increased the happiness of already enjoyable activities by smaller amounts (socializing, making love)," scientists said in their study.