Have you ever noticed that depending on what you drink, you feel different? For example, maybe you get angry after drinking one type of alcohol, and emotional after drinking another? In a study done by BMJ Open with almost 30,000 people from all over the world, this theory was tested. Each participant drank different types of wine, spirits, and beer on different occasions and logged how the different types of alcohol affected their mood and emotions.
According to the study, this is how different types of alcohol affects your mood.
Red wine and beer
Participants reported feeling more relaxed when having red wine or beer. 52.8% of participants reported that they felt relaxed when drinking red wine and almost half when drinking beer said the same.
60% of participants also reported that red wine makes them feel tired after a few glasses.
Spirits
A lot of different emotions can come from drinking spirits (hard liquor).
Over half of participants across all countries associated drinking spirits with emotions of energy and confidence, with young people being the most susceptible to these emotions after a few shots.
More than 40% of people said they felt "sexy" after drinking spirits.
One third of people said that drinking spirits made them feel angry, or had aggressive urges. While women tended to experience stronger emotional responses to the different types of alcohol, men were more likely to feel aggressive after drinking than women, particularly men that drank heavily.
If your emotions get heightened when drinking different types of alcohol, you are not alone! This study shows that different drinks affect people's emotions in different ways. Although, it is not yet known why they do this to us.
One of the researchers behind the study, Professor Mark Bellis, said, "People may rely on alcohol to help them feel a certain way. People might drink to feel more confident or relaxed but they also risk other negative emotional responses too."