A moderate dose of beer reduces your willingness to help others in pain
Alcohol can create a deceptive gap in our social skills. A new study shows that while a few beers might not impair emotion recognition, they can lower your willingness to help others in distress.
A recent study reveals that moderate amounts of beer may reduce a person's willingness to assist others who are in pain, though it does not impair their ability to recognize emotions. The research, published in Human Psychopharmacology: Clinical and Experimental, involved 66 participants, mostly men aged 25. Participants were randomly assigned to drink either a moderate dose of alcoholic beer or a placebo non-alcoholic beer.
Blood alcohol levels peaked at 0.56 milligrams per liter, around ten minutes after consumption. The study measured two aspects of empathy: empathic accuracy and behavioral empathy. Empathic accuracy refers to the ability to accurately interpret another person's emotional state, while behavioral empathy involves the willingness to take action to help someone in distress.
The researchers found no significant impact on empathic accuracy, regardless of whether participants consumed alcoholic or non-alcoholic beer. However, those who drank alcoholic beer showed a decrease in willingness to help others in painful scenarios, particularly those with low, non-hazardous drinking habits. This effect was not observed in participants with regular heavy drinking habits.
The study's lead author, clinical psychologist Isabelle Cristina Baltariu, notes that alcohol's impact on empathy varies depending on the individual and social context, emphasizing that alcohol does not completely erase empathy but reduces accuracy and sensitivity.
Written by urgent.news from PsyPost's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
