Alcohol Linked to Certain Emotions, Study Finds

Category: Lifestyle/Entertainment

Listening

Unlocking Word Meanings

Read the following words/expressions found in today’s article.

  1. elicit / ɪˈlɪs ɪt / (v) – to get a response
    Example:

    The question elicited a lot of creative responses from the audience.


  2. lethargic / ləˈθɑr dʒɪk / (adj) – feeling dull or without energy
    Example:

    A hangover usually makes me feel lethargic.


  3. spectrum / ˈspɛk trəm / (n) – a range of something
    Example:

    The film made me feel a spectrum of emotions. It made me laugh, cry, and get mad.


  4. threshold / ˈθrɛʃ oʊld / (n) – the level where something begins to change
    Example:

    Drinking three glasses of wine is beyond my threshold; it will make me feel dizzy.


  5. counteract / ˌkaʊn tərˈækt / (v) – to lessen or remove the effect of something
    Example:

    They found an antidote that could easily counteract the effects of the poison.


Article

Read the text below.

A study submitted to BMJ Open (formerly the British Medical Journal) found that the type of alcoholic beverage people drink can elicit certain emotions from them.


The three types of alcohol that appeared in the study are beer, which usually contains around 5% alcohol, wine, which has 12-14% alcohol, and spirits like whiskey, gin, and vodka, which contain 14-16% alcohol.


According to the study, wine and beer can make a person feel relaxed. Meanwhile, people reported feeling more lethargic after drinking red wine than after white wine. Spirits are also said to elicit a spectrum of emotions ranging from feeling aggressive or energetic to feeling confident.


The study was conducted to highlight the dangers of alcohol dependence. According to the study, people’s threshold for tolerating alcohol increases the more they drink. Thus, the researchers said that if people drink to feel certain positive emotions, they would need to drink increasing amounts over time for the same effect. However, the researchers also emphasized that this also exposes drinkers to the risk of feeling negative emotions linked to alcohol.


Aside from alcohol’s effects on people’s emotions, previous studies have also looked at its other effects. One of the more recent findings tackles the relationship of alcohol and skin aging.


A study on alcohol abuse led researchers to discover that skin problems related to excessive drinking can last up to 28 days, especially in women in their 40s. Excessive drinking dehydrates the skin and makes it swell and develop wrinkles. Younger women and most men also experience this effect. However, they are able to better counteract skin dryness and recover from it faster.


Viewpoint Discussion

Enjoy a discussion with your tutor.

Discussion A

• If you were a researcher, what about alcohol would you be interested to study further (e.g. relationship of alcohol and intelligence, medical uses)? Discuss.
• If you had the authority, how would you regulate alcohol consumption? Explain.

Discussion B

• Apart from drinking, what can people do to elicit certain emotions (e.g. relaxation, confidence)? Discuss.
• What do you do when you feel emotions you do not like (e.g. sleep, eat your favorite food)?