Those of you at the next drinks night take heed!
below the surface the pub round is a complicated, highly-regulated social ritual.
Being in a round means being accepted as a member of a group. And once inside this group, there are rules to be carefully observed about when and how often drinkers should be heading to the bar.
"Buying a round in a pub marks you out as a member of a very specific group - and by watching who buys drinks for whom, and in turn who receives drinks from whom, you get an immediate idea of the social dynamic there," says Dr Marsh.
There is nothing random about how drinks are bought in a round.
Getting in a round is a longstanding tradition
"There's a lot of monitoring - because you don't want to buy the drinks too early, you don't want to buy them too late. There are unwritten rules, such as if half the round are towards the bottom of the glass, that's the time to buy," he says.
The greatest social danger is to be labelled as a round dodger who never finds their pocket - on the surface everyone might be smiling, but they're keeping a careful note on the progress of the round.
"People who don't buy their rounds become ostracised or pushed to the fringes of the group, it makes them extremely unpopular. It's seen as a deviant behaviour not to reciprocate.
"It goes the other way too, as people who buy too many are equally unpopular, as it's seen as showing off," says Dr Marsh
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/4798919.stm
The round dodging is a particular annoyance of mine, state at the beginning that you are buying your own (mine is usually due to financial constraints) rather than being a cadgin git. Another one is sitting there waiting to for someone to offer to buy you a drink and then not being quick off the mark to buy another - does my head in that one!
my kitten
HG Social Ettiquette Convenor
