Men Tend to React More to Smiles after Drinking: Study

New study finds why men generally get drunk with their friends more than women. Social drinking makes men more amenable and happier and ready to share the joy. 

Drinking merrily with friends all evening and night till you completely drop down 'wasted' is more common in men than in women. A new psychological study holds group drinking is more of a social behavior for men that makes them easily bond and connect with one another. The researchers from the University of Pittsburgh found many men react to smiles when they are drunk. 

They looked at 720 healthy social drinkers both men and women aged between 21 and 28 who were divided into three groups. Each group was either given a cocktail, a placebo or an non-alcoholic drink. The experts noted participants' expressions and behavior.

It was observed that majority of men responded to smiles within their social group and indulged in much relaxed and candid interactions. These finding indicate the effects of alcohol in making drinkers more receptive to rewarding behaviors and expressions like smiling. This explains why men tend to get sloshed when accompanied by friends and groups than women.

"Many men report that the majority of their social support and social bonding time occurs within the context of alcohol consumption. We wanted to explore the possibility that social alcohol consumption was more rewarding to men than to women - the idea that alcohol might actually 'lubricate' social interaction to a greater extent among men," said Catharine Fairbairn, psychological scientist and lead researcher, of the University of Pittsburgh.

"This experimental alcohol study, which included a social context, finds the clearest evidence yet of greater alcohol reinforcement for men than women," she adds.

More information is available online in the journal Clinical Psychological Science.