Most of us might feel overwhelmed owing tens of thousands of dollars.

Not college students.

A study by Ohio State University, found that young adults not only see debt as positive, but being in hock boosted their self-esteem. The more credit card and college loan debt they held, the “higher their self-esteem and the more they felt like they were in control of their lives,” according to a release about the study. These feelings were more pronounced among students from low-income families, the study found.

What are they teaching in college economics classes these days?

Apparently, running up credit card bills for textbooks or to finance school was viewed as a good thing by students because it was an investment in their future.

But reality eventually kicks in.

“By age 28, they may be realizing that they overestimated how much money they were going to earn in their jobs,” says Rachel Dwyer, the study’s lead author. “When they took out the loans, they may have thought they would pay off their debts easily, and it is turning out that is not as easy as they had hoped.”