In social scenarios, "liquid courage" aptly describes alcohol's impact.. Although some may think that alcohol is making them more attractive, a new study beg to differ.
Beer Goggles Debunked
New research, titled "Beer Goggles or Liquid Courage? Alcohol, Attractiveness Perceptions, and Partner Selection Among Men" published in the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs, finds that alcohol doesn't enhance others' attractiveness, but it boosts confidence to approach someone appealing.
Psychologists Molly Bowdring and Michael Sayette emphasized a notable gap in past research on beer goggles, noting the absence of consideration for the potential for real interaction with individuals perceived as attractive. In two distinct drinking sessions, male participants, accompanied by their drinking buddies, were tasked with rating the attractiveness of strangers.
The study, conducted at the University of Pittsburgh, involved 36 male participants in their twenties, assessing 16 different people in images on two separate visits.
To enhance the study's realism, participants were informed that they could potentially meet the individuals they were evaluating, and each participant brought along a regular drinking buddy to simulate authentic social dynamics.
In the lab, pairs of pals rated the attractiveness of strangers shown in photos and videos, with a set of 16 people presented on each visit. During one lab visit, the pairs were given an alcoholic cranberry juice cocktail, designed to reach a blood alcohol concentration of 0.08%, while during the other visit, they received a similar nonalcoholic beverage.
Following the attractiveness rating task, participants were informed that the people in the presented images were potential participants in a future study, one in which they might be invited to participate.
The participants were then asked to rate the attractiveness of the people shown on a scale ranging from 1 to 10. Subsequently, the men were tasked with choosing four individuals from the images with whom they would most like to have conversations in a future experiment.
Upon analysis, the study found no significant correlation between participants' perceptions of others' attractiveness and their level of intoxication. This discovery challenges the widely recognized beer goggles effect, suggesting that the impact of alcohol on perceived attractiveness may not be as consistently observed as previously assumed.
Alcohol Impacts a Person's Willingness for Social Interaction
During the study, the team noticed that participants were 1.71 times more likely to select their top-four attractive choices for potential future interactions while under the influence of alcohol, suggesting that alcohol provides liquid courage for men to approach someone they find physically appealing.
The study focused on men to leverage well-established social rewards associated with drinking for this gender. Future research aims to expand findings to include diverse genders, incorporating insights from previous studies on social bonding.
Bowdring and Sayette emphasize the impact of alcohol on a person's willingness to engage with others, proposing its consideration in therapeutic settings. Despite the potential thrill of socializing under alcohol's influence, they caution about its negative consequences, including impaired judgment and physical health effects.
Recognizing that alcohol alters social motivations and intentions, the study suggests individuals should be aware of the short-term appeal and potential long-term harm associated with drinking in social contexts.
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