This Valentine’s Day, Edge Hill University psychologists discover the science behind the ‘beer goggles’ effect and suggests there may be some fact to this when contemplating the attractiveness of possible suitors.
Dr. Rebecca Monk and Prof. Derek Heim carried out computer-based research in bars and pubs native to the University’s Ormskirk campus, by asking members to answer stimuli while ignoring images of attractive and unattractive faces.
The findings of the study—featured this week in Psychology of Addictive Behaviors – confirmed that while sober contributors had been distracted more by attractive faces, the eye of those that had been intoxicated was diverted equally by both enticing and unattractive faces.
Over 120 individuals—sober as well as intoxicated—had been requested to indicate on a laptop whether the letter ‘T’ was the proper way around or inverted, while being told to ignore the sequence of faces that had been shown on display at the same time.
Prof Derek Heim added: “Most individuals have heard of the ‘beer goggles’ effect, and our analysis adds to the body of proof displaying that there’s some fact to this anecdotal wisdom.”
It is remarkable that in the survey, participants had been only mildly intoxicated, suggesting that it would not take much alcohol in any respect for people to put on their beer goggles.
