Sunday, March 2, 2014

Roommate Psychology


Want to know how having a #roommate effects you?  The New York Times has a report on the research on how the person you share your #apartment with can affect you, from research on college freshman roommates.

When both roommates are females, if one weighs more than the other, the roommate who weighs less usually gains less on average than those with a thinner roommate.  This happens because four out of five female roommates that are overweight are on a diet and those eating habits tend to rub off on the thinner roommate. This only happens with two women who live together.

In male roommate pairs, if one roommate is depressed, then the other roommate tends to become more unhappy as well.  This is most likely to happen when the depressed student doesn't share their feelings.  This doesn't mean that the non-depressed roommate will develop full-blown depression, however.  There is no such transference between roommates if they are female.

If one roommate brings a video game console to college, it lowers the other roommates grades because they will study half an hour less than those without a video game console in their room, on average.  This grade disparity leads to grade averages that are 0.2 lower than students without gaming consoles in their place.

If a non-drinker is roommates with a drinker, they are more likely to become a drinker as well, again leading to lowered grades.  There are positive benefits of roommates, though.  If roommates are of different races, this leads to an increased tolerance for people of other races and more diversity in their pool of friends.

Need help finding an apartment with a roommate floorplan?  Give Austin Apartment Specialists a call today at 512-241-1111 for the latest in move-in specials, vacancies and amenities at all the best Austin apartments.

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