Ever get seriously emotional when drinking your favourite spirit?
Same. I know the feeling too well.
And, it looks like we are not alone. Turns out, there is a perfectly good explanation for why we suddenly feel overcome with an array of emotions.
Research published by the British Medical Journal found that certain emotions are linked with certain drinks. Taking 30,000 people between the ages of 18 to 24, they found that those who drink beer and wine felt far more relaxed than those who drank certain spirits.
In fact, nearly one third of all gin and whiskey drinkers felt emotions of aggression and sadness compared to only 2.5 percent of red wine drinkers.
So why do spirits make us feel this way?
Well it turns out that the high alcohol content PLUS the way we “pre drink” before a night out lead to one seriously messy result.
According to alcohol psychologist Paul Toner, he states that: “Alcohol is a sedative, and depresses the central nervous system, therefore making people less able to regulate their thoughts and feelings. If you are feeling emotional about something, you are more likely to express this without normal inhibitions.” He also noted that drinking too much, too fast can also result in overwhelming feelings and a sudden change in mood.
The research also found that the positive emotions you feel when drinking alcohol (43 percent of people who were surveyed felt sexy) is to do with external factors.
“Feeling positive emotions may in part be related to the promotion of positive experiences by advertising and the media, but the case for experiencing negative emotions is less well founded given that negative emotions are generally not promoted” the team concluded
Therefore they found that the negative emotions are rooted internally and the positive emotions are rooted externally.
This research hopes to address alcohol misuse and discuss our motivations for drinking before doing so.
“Results from these analyses can be used by public health bodies to better understand alcohol consumption behaviour and to inform strategies and interventions to promote changes in consumption,” they added.
Most definitely food for thought and something to keep in mind the next time you’re sipping on a cocktail.
