New research sheds light on beer goggles
It has long been known that alcohol influences judgment, particularly in social settings. But a new study released by University of Ireland Galway (UNIG) sheds new light on an issue that is not often discussed.
Beer goggles, attraction, and sex.
According to the study, 58% percent of men admit they have hooked up with someone while drinking that they might not otherwise if they were sober.
Additionally, 57% of men agree that they found it harder to say no to sexual advances after they have consumed alcohol.
The survey was carried out among the emerging adulthood college population (aged 18-29) by NUIG’s Elaine Byrnes and Pádraig MacNeela and was published this week using 1,691 participants.
The results have published on the NIUG website.
The research seems to track with previous studies that suggest men’s attractiveness towards another and associated sexual behaviors change while drinking.
One study, published in The Journal of Social Psychology that was released in May of this revealed that some guys become sexually fluid and more sexually willing with a same-sex partner while drinking (See Medical News Daily).
In that line of research, men who consumed over 10 alcoholic drinks were more likely to entertain the idea of gay sex just as much as having sex with a woman.
Back to the NIUG study:
A concerning bit of information was revealed that can’t be ignored.
In assessing sexual behaviors, 3% of college males and 8% of college females reported they were uncertain but suspected sexual contact with someone where they were unable to provide consent or stop what was happening because they were passed out, drugged, drunk, incapacitated or asleep.
More: The science of bromosexual relationships
The research itself doesn’t disclose sexual identity but it does suggest Beer Goggles can work both ways on the gender front, meaning men and women experience impaired judgment while intoxicated.
In addition to the above-mentioned research, a newly released study appearing in Sex Roles from the University of Nebraska – Lincoln suggests that the more men drink, the more likely they are to unknowingly gaze at certain body parts.
