Alcohol has had a long-standing reputation as one of the best social lubricants in the world—and now, science is here to back up all of that anecdotal evidence: Drinking alcohol may make men more responsive to the smiles of other guys in a group, says new research published in Clinical Psychological Science. Is this the equivalent of how when you’re tipsy, you’re more inclined to get into a compliment exchange with a woman in a bar bathroom? Well, sort of.
Researchers from the University of Pittsburgh and the University of Oslo separated 720 healthy social drinkers from 21-28 into groups of three. Each group then consumed a specific drink: a vodka cranberry, a non-alcoholic beverage, or a non-intoxicating “placebo” beverage that was presented as alcoholic. The team even went the extra mile and smeared the placebo glasses with vodka, then put a few drops of it on top of the drinks to convince the participants it contained alcohol.
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The members of each group were introduced and sat around a table while the drinks were served to them in 12-minute increments. Beside following the instructions to drink their beverages at an even pace before the next round, they didn’t have to adhere to any directions and could interact with each other however they wanted.
The study authors then used technology called the Facial Action Coding System to track how smiles spread throughout each group. They discovered that alcohol significantly boosted the contagiousness of smiles for all-male groups but didn’t have the same effect on groups that included any women. Smiles that were likely to catch on were associated with brighter spirits and increased social bonding, as well as decreased negative mood.
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So what’s behind the men in this study lobbing smiles back and forth like footballs? First of all, men derive more reward from alcohol, according to the study. “This reward manifests as a specifically social, catching process,” say the researchers.
The contagious part comes down to alcohol-induced “social bravery” that encouraged the men to be a little more open. “Alcohol appears to increase individuals’ willingness to allow their ‘true smiles’ to linger longer in a social setting and as a result, increases the likelihood that they will ultimately meet with a responding smile,” says the study.
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Keeping in mind that moderation is key, this is great research to remember for those times your guy and your dad get together, no?
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