The next time you appear for a job interview, make sure you order just a glass of water and not beer or wine, for you could appear less intelligent - says a new study.

It's not because you could get tipsy from a single glass of merlot; rather it's what the researchers label the "imbibing idiot bias."

"People think that drinking in moderation is safe because it will not impair their thinking.

But they often don't realize that merely holding an alcoholic drink might make others view them as less intelligent," The Globe and Mail quoted Scott Rick, assistant professor at the University of Michigan, who did the study along with Maurice Schweitzer, a professor at the University of Pennsylvania Wharton School of Business.

The study revealed that managers are a lot less likely to hire an applicant if he/she ordered wine before dinner, instead of a soft drink.

"Taken together, the results suggest that what we drink may say more about us than we think," the researchers concluded.

The "imbibing idiot" effect has grown as advertising bans on alcoholic beverages, campaigns against impaired driving, and changes in legal drinking ages have created stronger negative associations with drinking. (ANI)