Investigating drinking via the social investment hypothesis: Committed relationship status moderates the association between educational investment and excessive alcohol consumption among college students

A sample of 18- to 23-year-old college students (N = 183) with a heterogeneous prevalence of alcohol dependence (AD) was used to examine the relationship between normative investment and alcohol consumption. Consistent with the social investment hypothesis, AD students reported lower educational investment and less participation in committed relationships than non-AD students. The sample-wide relationship between educational investment and alcohol use was moderated by relationship status, such that students in relationships who reported high educational investment were likely to drink more than single students who reported high educational investment. This interactive effect held when controlling for sex, IQ, and a measure of self-control. The results suggest normative investment is a candidate risk factor for excessive alcohol consumption for both highly “under-committed” and “over-committed” students.