And you thought all that loud music was just there so you didn’t have to talk. While that may be part of it, cranking up the music impacts how much we drink …
According to alcoholism expert Dr. Mark Galanter in U.S. News & World Report, a study this year demonstrated: “Patrons who are subjected to loud, pounding music in bars and clubs down their drinks faster and end up drunker by the end of the night. ‘It seems that loud music throws people off their game and renders them less in control of their capacity to moderate their drinking.’
There were several reasons: Higher arousal and anxiety levels produced by the music; the music made conversations more difficult; people use alcohol to cope with anxiety whether or not they have alcohol problems. “Loud music puts them in a frame of mind where they’re less coherent, and maybe somewhat distracted, and in a somewhat altered state of consciousness.”
So … next time you’re surrounded by loud music, think about it > you may just be being manipulated to drink more … ________________________________________________________________________________ The Week, Health & Science, “Drinking to the beat,” August 8, 2008, pg 22
