Increasing Fun= Increasing Intelligence

In the book Everything Bad is Good for You, Steve Johnson tries to convey the idea that popular culture is not dumbing us down, but actually making us smart, becoming more complex and intellectually challenging over the last three decades. Drexel society is making us smarter but not exactly in the way one would think so. Sure, academics, befriending other students, and finding your classes are all classic examples of we are becoming smarter but what about partying? Is partying a lot increasing our intelligence?

Whether it is a Thursday night or a Saturday night, a large percentage of Drexel students venture out on the streets around campus, and further, to find a party. This is not always an easy task, especially being a freshman. There is no formula to memorize to find a party, no note-taking requirement. When you actually find a party, getting in is only the second step out of many. You have to know how to casually invite yourself inside. There is no instant-gratification, like in a challenging video game such as Grand Theft Auto III mentioned in the book. It takes time to walk around and check out whether a party looks like it will be fun or not. Other questions arise as well: What is the guy to girl ratio? How do I avoid waiting twenty minutes to get a beer? If the cops come, where are we escaping from the quickest?

Your brain learns and grows by your interactions and experiences. I could describe numerous things that validate partying, something seen as immature and careless fun, as stimulation for the brain; however, just pointing out the few things I mentioned proves my point almost instantly.