There are few, if any, schools that have a January where we can walk outside in shorts and flip flops. Just this past weekend, I needed to put on sun block to go out on Saturday. This beautiful weather combined with student beach houses is a recipe for daygers —  a combination of the words “day” and “rager.” This combination results in a social atmosphere that’s better and more beneficial to one’s social health than the late night I.V. party scene. Here are some reasons why I believe dayging is better than the average, night-time raging:

You Have Energy

A big problem with going out at 10 p.m. and returning home at 2 a.m. is the lack of energy the whole night — especially on Friday after a long day of school. A phrase heard too often is, “if we don’t start drinking soon, then I’m going to fall asleep.” Well, daygers solve that problem with the simple fact that they begin at two and end when the sun sets. Additionally, a positive side effect is prolonging the party by an hour or two: e.g. from 1-6 as opposed to 10-2. Moral of the story: More energy means you’re a happier, more social person with a goal that isn’t just getting hammered.

You Can See People’s Faces

Do you ever have nights where you meet so many people but never recognize them afterwards because you never get a clear glimpse of their face? I know I have. But, when you’re standing on a balcony with the sun shining down, it’s easy to remember faces and remember your new friends. Plus, if you’ve ever been in the awkward situation where you went to bed with a 10 but woke up with a 3, then you’ll probably appreciate the fact that you can get a better face-glimpse.

Watching the Sunset

Most daygers that I’ve seen have been hosted at ocean-side houses. Not only are you able to enjoy being in a beach house where you can actually see the beach (see point two), but you are also able to wait until the sunset and appreciate its beauty. Watching the sunset in I.V. is always a good reminder of how grateful I should be to have the opportunity to attend this university. Plus, it’s a calming thing to do, and makes for a good Snapchat story (Side note: I’ve repeatedly been called a social media whore). And on days when it’s partly cloudy, the sunset is pretty neat.

The Vibe

At night, too many people come out and parties are often guarded by guys asking, “Who do you know here?” Things are rather strict, and for good reason — you don’t want random people coming into your house and breaking things and stealing valuables. But, when one attends a day party, the vibes are often much more relaxed due to two things: strangers mainly try to get into parties at night and it’s easier to monitor who is at the party during the day because of the light. Again, this lax atmosphere creates a more enjoyable environment at a dayger compared to that of a simple rager.

Your Liver Takes a Lighter Load

Myself this past Saturday excluded, people tend to drink less at a dayger. There are fewer incidences of blacking out and making a long list of mistakes. Mainly, people tend to go lighter at daygers because they need to save some energy for that night. Because of this, everyone gets to a point where they are sociable and friendly, but not to the point where they’re stumbling and slurring. Now, to say your liver literally takes a lighter load is an overstatement, but we all like to think that way to spare our conscience.

This is by no means a comprehensive list of the benefits of daygers. It is meant to highlight some of the most enjoyable parts of dayging and why you should give it a try. So what if the friend from back home asks, “Isn’t it a little early to be drinking?” Just send him this list and he’ll be so impressed that maybe he’ll try it too. Additionally, this is not meant to undermine the benefits of raging at night, because that’s fun for its own reasons. However, it is meant to show that one form of social interaction trumps the other.

Ben Nguyen encourages you all to rage …  err, dage on.