When Pliny the Elder wrote the phrase 'In vino, veritas', I bet he never thought that it would become one of the most oft-quoted aphorisms in history. It's often true, too: many drunks have blurted out things that they'd really, really rather not have other people know.
However, when beer rather than vino is the alcoholic beverage in question, it seems that it can have the opposite effect - at least as far as men are concerned, when considering women.
Now researchers have finally proved that beauty is in fact in the eye of the beer holder, rather than the beholder.
According to a new study, people do appear more attractive to both sexes when they've had a drink and have their 'beer goggles' on.
As little as a pint and a half of beer is enough to make everyone seem more desirable, researchers have found.
Men are worst affected, with their vision distorted or their 'goggles' lasting for as long as 24 hours after a heavy drinking session.
The study, conducted at Bristol University, involved male and female volunteers being randomly allocated either a drink of vodka and lime or a similar-tasting soft drink.
Half an hour later, they were asked to rate the attractiveness of 20 male and 20 female faces on a seven-point scale.
Those who had been drinking alcohol scored the faces around 10 per cent higher than those who had not.
The following day both sexes were tested again and men who had drunk alcohol still scored pictures of women more highly than the non-drinkers.
The researchers concluded: 'Alcohol consumption increases ratings of attractiveness of facial stimuli.
'In addition, the effects of alcohol consumption on ratings of attractiveness persist for up to 24 hours after consumption but only in male participants when rating female faces.'
Beauty is in the eye of the beer holder . . . now that's a pun I wish I'd thought up myself!
Peter
3 comments:
BEER: Promoting physical relationships between unattractive people for the past 2600 years.
...Now ain't it funny, ain't it strange
How a man's opinion change
When he starts to face that lonely night
(Chorus)
All the girls all get prettier at closin' time
They all begin to look like movie stars
All the girls all get prettier at closin' time
When the change starts taking place
It puts a glow on every face
Of the fallen angels of the back street bars
Mickey Gilley
James McMurtry also had a nice update on the "in vino, veritas" aphorism- "Whiskey don't make liars, it just makes fools- I didn't mean to say it, but I meant what I said"
from the song "Too Long in the Wasteland"
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