According to new research, young people may care more about their self-esteem than expected.  Researchers found that college students preferred boosts to their self-esteem more than any other pleasant activity they were asked about, including sex, receiving a pay cheque, eating their favourite foods, drinking alcohol, or seeing a best friend.

The two separate studies conducted by Brad Bushman (professor of communication and psychology at The Ohio State University), Scott Moeller (Brookhaven National Laboratory) and Jennifer Crocker (professor of psychology at Ohio State) focused on asking college students how much they wanted and liked various pleasant activities.  The results showed that confidence building experiences, such as receiving a compliment or achieving a good grade came out on top.

"We found that self-esteem trumped all other rewards in the minds of these college students," said Brad Bushman, lead author of the research.

The study appears online in the Journal of Personality.