Just Smelling Alcohol Can Influence Your Behavior. Yep, A Real Study.

We all know that drinking too much and driving is dangerous and against the law. It's also bad to drink too much in any situation. People have been known to drink excessive amounts of alcohol and engage in embarrassing and stupid behavior like discussing politics. According to researchers, a person does not have to drink alcohol to do stupid things. A study conducted by Edge Hill University in the UK claims that just the sight or smell of alcohol can cause a person to struggle with controlling their behavior. Really? Does this mean if a person is out of control, they can blame just walking into a bar or liquor store? They saw and smelled alcohol and lost control. Who are these researchers?


Below are excerpts of the story in bold. My valuable insights are in italics.

Now, research carried out by a team from Edge Hill University in the UK suggests that even the smell of alcohol may make it harder for people to control their behavior, suggesting that it could attract people to consume. Previous research has shown that behaviors related to alcohol consumption vary according to the environment. An "alcohol-salient environment" would be one where the idea of alcohol is pervasive, through visual and other cues.


I'm stunned there actually had to be a study to prove this idea. It's like someone did research on why people smell cookies baking and then want a cookie. I suppose people who are obese could live in a “baked goods-salient environment.” I know restaurants try to provide a “food-salient environment.” Cosmetic companies try to provide a “perfume-salient” environment. (Sarcasm alert) I've eaten certain vegetables and provided a salient environment that has caused people to change their behavior. They leave the room coughing, waving their hand in front of their nose and return to bombard me with air freshener spray.

In the current study, the researchers set out to explore how visual and olfactory cues relating to alcohol would impact people's inhibitory control, in other words, their ability to control their attention to alcohol. Participants in the computer-based study wore a scented face mask and carried out a task on screen. Some people had a mask laced with alcohol, while others had one laced with a non-alcoholic citrus solution. Subjects then had to press a button when they saw either the letter K or the image of a bottle of beer on the screen.


Are they serious? A bunch of people was brought in and told to wear masks that either smelled like alcohol or citrus. These study participant then had to press a button after seeing a letter or a bottle of booze? This makes about as much sense as nailing jello to a tree. Why have the letter “K”? Why not the letter “A” for alcohol or the letter “B” for booze? How about they have people with masks laced rum and see if they respond to the “R” letter? Why not have them press the letter “D” when they feel dumb for spending their time wearing a scented mask and pressing buttons?

Scent of alcohol leads to more 'false alarms'
If a participant pressed the button incorrectly, this was registered as a "false alarm." A false alarm suggested that the participant had become less able to control their behavior when asked to. The participants who registered the false alarms were more likely to be wearing the masks bearing the scent of alcohol. The team believes that the sight and sound of alcohol might stimulate cognitive responses that increase the likelihood of consumption.


People who were wearing masks that smelled like alcohol more often pressed a button incorrectly. This makes researchers believe these people have an increased likelihood of drinking alcohol? (Sarcasm alert) Could the study participants have an increased likelihood of being bored? Maybe the study participants just saw all the alcohol the researchers were drinking, and that distracted them. That would explain a lot of things when it comes to this study. What was the sights and sounds of stupid that stimulated the cognitive responses and increased the likelihood of researchers doing something that appears to be ridiculous? Maybe this was just an opportunity for researchers to buy a lot of alcohol and have Edge Hill University pay for it.


“Why are their several cases of rum, vodka, and beer in the research laboratory?”
“That was left over from or smelling alcohol study.”
“You only had twenty participants.”
“Just wanted to make sure we didn't run out. We plan to put what is left over to good use.”
“How?”
“We're going to study the effects of alcohol on researchers conducting research while consuming alcohol. I have a feeling this could take years and cost a lot of money.”
“If it's done in the name of science, it's worth it.”
“I agree.”

Coauthor Prof. Derek Heim adds that this kind of study could provide new insight into addiction and substance abuse. He emphasizes that to validate the results, it would be necessary to observe them outside the laboratory, in a real-world setting.


Let me provide some translation here. Researchers believe they must go to bars and observe people drinking alcohol, while drinking alcohol, in an effort to get new insights into addiction and substance abuse. Then maybe the researchers will go to bakeries and eat baked goods and observe people eating pastries in an effort to end obesity. Who knew there could be so many perks to being a researcher? I plan to go to Mexican restaurants and observe people eating Mexican food, while eating Mexican food, in an effort to end poverty in Mexico. Why should researchers have all the fun when it comes to saving the world?

Smell Of Alcohol Study


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