Beer Goggles Really Do Work (Or So I’ve Heard)

Frat boys everywhere are breathing a sigh of relief: it’s not just them. According to a new study conducted at Bristol University, people really do appear more attractive when they’ve had a drink or two. In fact, researchers have found that as little as a pint and a half of beer is enough to make everyone seem more desirable.

The effect – wherein your vision is distorted with alcohol – is often referred to jokingly as “beer goggles.” But researchers aren’t laughing. They claim that it’s a real occurrence.

In the study, researchers randomly assigned alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks (apparently altered to taste alcoholic) to volunteers – and I expect that they didn’t have to work too hard to get those volunteers. After thirty minutes, the volunteers were asked to rate the attractiveness of 20 male and 20 female faces on a seven-point scale.

Those who had been drinking alcohol ranked the faced around 10% higher than those who had not. The following day, the results were similar. This lead researchers to conclude that:

Alcohol consumption increases ratings of attractiveness of facial stimuli.

In other words, if you’re drunk, the world actually looks a little better. It’s not just your judgment that’s impaired, your vision is, too. Researchers at another British university (Manchester University) also add that the levels of light in pubs and clubs magnify this effect.

The result? Studies indicate that more than two thirds of people have woken up and regretted handing out their phone number to someone they were not attracted to when sober (thank goodness for caller ID).

And who makes the most mistakes? Men. Men are worst affected with reports of “beer goggles” lasting up to 24 hours after heavy drinking.

So if you don’t get that call back you’ve been waiting on? The one from the guy who said he’d call? And you know how all your friends say it’s not you. Um, it may actually be you. And the beer goggles.