People often say, “In wine, there is truth.” Some individuals, after a few glasses of alcohol, seem to vocalize their true thoughts and feelings, which they might not be willing or daring to express when sober. So, is it true that “In wine, there is truth”? In response to this, experts have shared their views.
According to a report from Live Science, experts have varied opinions on whether drinking alcohol makes people more honest – the answer could be both “yes” and “no.”
Aaron White, the director of the Epidemiology and Biometry Branch at the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism in the United States, stated that alcohol tends to make people more likely to speak their minds.
He mentioned, “In some cases, that could be true. In some cases, that could be what you think is true when you’re drunk.”
Hence, there is a higher likelihood that people will speak their minds after drinking alcohol. However, they might say things that feel genuine at the moment but are not taken seriously when sober. For example, someone intoxicated might mention plans to move or resign, only to retract those statements the following sober morning.
Although there is currently no specific research on how alcohol affects honesty, studies on alcohol’s impact on personality, emotions, and cognitive abilities support the aforementioned viewpoints.
A study published in 2017 indicated that participants showed the most significant personality change after drinking alcohol by becoming more outgoing.
While alcohol can help individuals engage with the external world and voice their thoughts, White suggested that the impact of alcohol on emotions may make those thoughts more unpredictable.
Michael Sayette, a psychology professor at the University of Pittsburgh, noted, “We typically find that drinking tends to amplify our emotions.”
He explained that in more pleasant interactions, people are more likely to laugh and speak loudly, whereas in less pleasant situations, they might be more prone to tears.
These heightened emotions can compel individuals to express thoughts they have while sober, but they could also lead to unstable states, where insincere words are spoken or later regretted.
Sayette added, “Because alcohol can alter our thoughts and feelings, it’s not surprising that our behavior changes. Alcohol can lead to more extreme behavior.”
Additionally, alcohol suppresses the amygdala in the brain, a structure that produces feelings of fear and anxiety. When sober, the amygdala usually sends warning signals to prevent individuals from saying or doing things that could result in social embarrassment, but after drinking, these signals are inhibited.
So, is “In wine, there is truth” a fact?
Certainly, individuals may speak truthfully after consuming alcohol, but they could also utter insincere words or words they regret later. The impact of alcohol on the mind is too complex to have a clear-cut effect on honesty.
White concluded that one thing is certain – alcohol is not a truth serum.
While alcohol may not necessarily lead to honesty, previous studies have found that moderate alcohol consumption can improve language skills, making individuals more fluent.
According to a report by Time magazine, a study conducted in 2017 involved 50 German students studying at Maastricht University in the Netherlands. As their native language was German and the university taught in Dutch, they had to learn Dutch and take exams in it.
Each participant engaged in a two-minute casual conversation in Dutch with an interviewer. Before the interview, half of the participants were asked to drink water, while the other half were asked to drink alcohol, with the amount depending on their body weight.
The conversations were recorded, and two Dutch-speaking individuals evaluated each participant’s fluency without knowing who had consumed alcohol. Participants also rated their own perceived fluency in Dutch.
Surprisingly, self-ratings of fluency were not affected by alcohol consumption – those who drank alcohol did not feel they spoke more fluently.
However, based on the assessments of the Dutch speakers, participants did indeed speak Dutch more fluently after drinking alcohol, especially in terms of pronunciation. Their grammar, vocabulary, and argumentation scores were similar to those who drank water, meaning there was no significant improvement.
The researchers noted that the participants consumed a moderate amount of alcohol during the study, and higher levels of alcohol intake may not produce the same beneficial effects. After all, excessive alcohol consumption can have the opposite effect on speech fluency, potentially leading to incoherent speech.