For most of us, owing thousands of dollars in student loans, all while [--1--] credit card debt, probably sounds like a nightmare. But for people in their early- to mid-20s, all that debt actually seems to [--2--] their self-esteem—possibly because they consider that debt an investment in their future. So says a study in the journal Social Science Research. [Rachel Dwyer, Laura McCloud and Randy Hodson, Youth debt, mastery, and self-esteem: Class-stratified effects of indebtedness on self-concept]

Researchers analyzed [--3--] national survey data on 3,000 young Americans. The questions covered student loans and credit card debt, as well as some designed to measure the respondents’ self-esteem and sense of control over their lives. Even after accounting for the fact that more self-confident teens might be willing to take out more loans in college, the researchers found that the more debt respondents had, the more [--4--] they felt. Especially young adults from low-income families, who might have been afforded opportunities beyond their means.

But the honeymoon appears to end around age 28—right around the time when college grads have been working a few years and they realize their [--5--] may have been just a tad too high. Oh, and when the bills for those student loans start showing up.
【视听版科学小组荣誉出品】
juggling crushing boost ongoing empowered salary expectations
债务包袱，昂扬斗志 对于我们中大多数人来说，如何灵活的管理好上千美元的助学贷款可能就是一个噩梦。但对于刚迈入20岁和20多岁的年轻人来说，所有的债务貌似激发了他们的自尊心，可能因为他们认为对自己的未来进行了债务投资。这项研究发表在《社会科学调查》期刊上。 研究人员对全国3千名美国年轻人进行调查并分析数据。这份调查问卷涵盖助学贷款和信用卡债务，还有一些问题旨在测试受试人的自尊心和对过去生活的掌控感。研究人员甚至发现，更多的自信满满的年轻人愿意在大学负担更多的贷款，而且贷款越多，他们更加感到斗志昂扬。尤其是来自低收入家庭的年轻人，他们被给予的机遇可能已经超出他们的能力范围。 但是这种“能量期”在28岁左右便会结束，刚好就是大学毕业出来工作几年后的时期，他们开始意识到自己的工资期望可能有点过高了。对了，也刚好到了该还钱的时候了。