The beautifying effect of alcohol was studied in a setting that resembles a real-life situation. The subjects were 36 men in their twenties.
It is a common perception that a drunk person finds others more attractive than when they are sober. Many have personal experience of this, and there is also research evidence of the effect.
Now a new US study challenges the old wisdom.
It might just be about the removal of inhibitions. It may be that the attractiveness of the objects per se remains unchanged, but thanks to hiprak, others are approached more sensitively.
This is the conclusion of researchers whose findings have been published In the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs. However, only men were examined.
In many previous studies, the effects have been investigated simply by asking subjects to rate the attractiveness of others based on pictures, both naked and drunk.
This time, the setting was improved with an element that increased the feeling of reality: the subjects were told about the possibility of meeting the people they were evaluating.
Alcohol fueled the desire to meet attractive people
The researchers asked 36 men between the ages of 21 and 28 to the laboratory. They were observed in pairs, and other couples were also present, in an attempt to mimic a real-life social situation.
Participants were asked to rate the attractiveness of people based on pictures and videos. In one test I passed, in another under the influence of alcohol up to 0.8 per mille.
When the men had given their ratings, they were asked separately which of the people they rated they would most like to meet. The participants were told that the opportunity to meet might arise in a future test.
The degree of intoxication was found to have no effect on how attractive the men thought the target persons were.
On the other hand, consuming alcohol clearly increased the willingness to meet people perceived as attractive: the willingness increased by a maximum of more than 1.7 times.
The researchers state that alcohol does not seem to change people’s perception. Instead, getting drunk strengthens self-confidence.
Previous proof of the beautifying effect of alcohol is partly contradictory. The new results may be important for therapists and patients, researchers think.
– Alcohol users can benefit from recognizing the ways in which drinking alters social motivations and intentions, says lead researcher Molly A. Bowdring in the bulletin.