Have a Drink, You’ll Look Better
Published at
iStock/Thinkstock(BRISTOL, England) — Much has been said about how people seem more attractive after you’ve been drinking, i.e., the so-called “beer goggles effect.”
But a new study from the University of Bristol in the United Kingdom wanted to know if people who drink alcohol actually look better than when they haven’t imbibed.
Senior researcher Marcus Munafo and his team had 40 heterosexual students look at a series of head shots of men and women taken before the men and women drank, and then pictures of them following a single drink, and then two drinks.
Ultimately, people judged as most attractive were those who’d had one drink. However, two drinks didn’t improve their attractiveness. In fact, participants preferred the sober head shots compared to those taken of people who’d had two cocktails.
What was it about having one drink that seemed to improve a person’s looks? Although there’s no conclusive answer to that question, Munafo and his team came up with several theories, including increased pupil dilation, added rosiness to cheeks, and relaxed facial muscles.
Munafo cautioned that the study wasn’t trying to encourage drinking as people seek an edge on the dating scene.
Follow @ABCNewsRadio
Copyright © 2015, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.