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Do we tell the truth more to those around us when we’ve had too much to drink? Does this put our brain into an unfiltered mode? Scientists have asked themselves this question, and the answer is not so clear-cut.
The old adage “In wine truth” (the truth is in the wine) attributed to Pliny the Elder is true? Are we ultimately more honest when we have had one glass too many? In the magazine Live Sciencescientists have asked themselves this question which, let’s admit it, has already crossed our minds, after a drunken evening, and a few confidences exchanged.
Talk more, yes, but tell the truth? Not sure
For Aaron White, head of the epidemiology and biometrics branch of the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism at Duke University, there is a nuance to be established first.Alcohol makes us say whatever we think. But in some cases, it may be the truth. In other cases, it may be what you think is the truth in your drunken state.”
In other words, you may indeed be more likely to share your opinion after a few drinks, but that truth may also be something that “feels” true when you’re drunk and isn’t. (“Tomorrow morning, I’m changing for you, my love!”)
But alcohol does change our personality.
While there is no real in-depth study on how alcohol influences honesty, studies on the impact of alcohol on personality, emotions, and cognition support this idea.
One 2017 study, for example, looked at how participants’ personalities changed after they drank enough vodka lemonade to reach a blood alcohol content of 0.09 percent. At that dose, participants seemed… much more outgoing. While the study didn’t test whether alcohol was a truth serum, it makes sense that someone who feels more comfortable in a social setting would also be more likely to be outspoken.
“We generally find that drinking alcohol tends to intensify our emotions”Michael Sayette, a professor of psychology at the University of Pittsburgh, told Live Science. The result: We laugh more, get angry more, and cry more, too. These heightened emotions can lead people to say what’s on their minds, but they can also put them in an unstable state where they say something they don’t really mean or deeply regret later.
A reckless response that plays out in the brain
These effects stem from alcohol’s ability to cause disinhibition, meaning a person is more likely to act on impulses. “This happens because alcohol dampens signals in the prefrontal cortex, a region of the brain that regulates behavior and controls impulses.”explains Aaron White.
Alcohol also suppresses the effects of the amygdala, a structure deep in the brain known to trigger feelings of fear and anxiety. When a person is sober, the amygdala typically sends warning signals that can prevent them from saying or doing things that could lead to a false social pause… but these signals fade after a few drinks.
The truth sometimes lies elsewhere…
Finally, can wine or any other bottle make us more truthful, and more honest? At the risk of being disappointing, the answer is as fuzzy as drunken memories. Sure, people are more likely to divulge secrets after a few glasses of wine, but they are also more likely to say something they don’t really mean and regret the next morning, whether it’s a declaration or a reproach. The effects of alcohol on the mind are simply too complex to have an absolute effect on honesty.“Alcohol is not a truth serum” concludes Aaron White.
Slide: 10 Signs You Have a Drinking Problem