The next time your man tells you he's going to have a drinking session over at his buddy's place, remember this: It may help him become more sociable. According to a new study featured on TIME.com, smiles are more sincere and contagious among a group of drinking men.

Researchers divided 720 “healthy social drinkers” into three groups. One group was given an alcoholic beverage and the other two either a placebo or a non-acloholic drinks. Results showed that men exhibited better social behavior and more positive vibes in the alcoholic group, but only if the group was entirely composed of males.

“Many men report that the majority of their social support and social bonding time occurs within the context of alcohol consumption,” said lead researcher Catharine Fairbairn. “We wanted to explore the possibility that social alcohol consumption was more rewarding to men than to women—the idea that alcohol might actually ‘lubricate’ social interaction to a greater extent among men.”

Not to say that he should always be out with his friends, but perhaps now you can understand why it's important for him to have bonding time with his barkada.

(Screencap from New Girl courtesy of Fox)