Partner Article

More drink when you can’t hear yourself think?

Scientists from the University of Portsmouth are to study whether loud music makes people drink more alcohol.

Dr Lorenzo Stafford, of the university’s psychology department, is to carry out the research, which follows a previous study carried out in bars that showed people drink at a faster rate when loud music is playing.

Dr Stafford said: “Anyone who tunes into classical music stations while stuck in traffic knows music can alter mood, but not much is known about music’s ability to change our judgment of alcoholic beverages, which is particularly important in young drinkers regularly exposed to high volume music.

“Although this is preliminary research, if it is found that loud music can alter our judgment of the strength of alcohol, this has enormous implications for bars, the drinks industry, local authorities and drinkers themselves.”

The £4,000 study is being funded by the Alcohol Education and Research Council, with the results due to be published this summer.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Ruth Mitchell .