People Become Aggressive After Listening to Alcohol-Related Terms: Study

Listening to alcohol-related words prompts aggressive behavior in people, according to a study.

It is known that consumption of alcohol and mind-altering substances make people more violent and aggressive. Recently, psychologists found alcohol priming or mere exposure to alcohol-related words and names of alcoholic beverages make people react aggressively, similar to how some people behave when intoxicated with alcohol.  

For the study, experts from renowned Universities in the U.S. and U.K  asked participants to write an essay after listening to alcohol relates words like 'wine', 'beer' and 'whiskey' and other words like 'milk', 'water' and 'juice'.  All subjects received feed back on the essays they had written to note how they behaved and reacted after listening to alcohol-related words.

It was observed that participants exposed to alcohol priming expressed aggression and became defensive while receiving essay reviews. But their behavior could not be described as their reaction to insult. The findings also revealed that direct and clear provocations spurred aggressive behavior in people whether or not they were exposed to alcohol priming.

In the second part of the trial, the researchers found the effects of alcohol priming wore out after seven minutes and aggressive participants were able to calm down within fifteen minutes.

"These results provide another strong demonstration that exposing someone to alcohol-related words alone can influence social behavior in ways that are consistent with the effects of alcohol consumption," said Eduardo Vasquez, study author and psychologist at the University of Kent in the UK in a news release.

"Our research also examined the parameters within which alcohol priming is likely to affect aggression. These effects seem to occur primarily when the provocation is not clear-cut and obvious, and are thus more open to interpretation. Under alcohol priming, the interpretation becomes more negative, and people become more aggressive."

The authors believe people need not consume alcohol to exhibit unruly behavior and act hostile. Situations and places that have alcohol like parties, bar and pubs has a strong influence on social behavior and conduct of individuals.  

More information is available online in the journal Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin.