The study of the powerful impact that norms have on both thought and behavior is a well-established area of research in the social sciences, especially in the fields of sociology and social psychology.
The specific application of the social norms approach to college drinking behavior was first suggested by H. Wesley Perkins and Alan Berkowitz in 1986. Their research yielded two important findings. First, that most students on their campus thought that the norms for both the frequency and the amount of drinking among their peers were higher than they actually were. Second, that students generally believed that their peers were more permissive in their personal attitudes about substance use than was in fact the case. Correcting such misperceptions, these researchers suggested, might reduce heavy drinking and related harm.
Note: The study referred to above is:
Perkins, H. W. & Berkowitz, A. D. Perceiving the community norms of alcohol use among students: Some research implications for campus alcohol education programming. International Journal of the Addictions, 1986, 21, 961-976