Study Identifies Three Types of Low-Risk Drinkers

When psychologists investigate people’s patterns of alcohol use, they often look at what happens when alcohol use becomes a problem. They consider questions such as what might predispose people to risky drinking habits, and how risky drinking habits tip into a full-blown alcohol problem. But a new study published in Drug and Alcohol Review comes…

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The Shape of a Glass Can Influence How Much You Drink

It’s not necessarily logical that how much food or drink you consume should depend on what dish the food or drink is served in, but people’s dietary habits aren’t always logical. In fact, a running theme in food psychology research is that environmental cues, known as nudges, can push people’s eating and drinking behaviors in…

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Looking at the Evidence for Health Warnings on Food and Alcohol

Scientists can show that some behavior has negative health consequences, but the question then becomes how to convince the public to actually engage in that behavior less. We know, for example, that consuming too much unhealthy food and alcohol causes health problems, but that knowledge itself hasn’t put an end to health conditions caused by…

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Meaning in Life and Drinking

Finding sources of meaning in life sounds like neither an easy task nor one that looks the same from one person to the next. But it is one that seems to be key to mental health. From increased resilience to sharper memory, a sense of purpose in life goes hand-in-hand with a range of cognitive…

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Study Shows Benefits of Dry January

We’re only in May, but it’s never too late to start thinking about your New Year’s resolutions, right? After all, 2020 probably can’t be over soon enough! For those contemplating a January self-improvement kick, a new study offers some food (but definitely not some drink) for thought. Increasingly popular is the phenomenon of Dry January,…

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Drinking Alone Can Be a Warning Sign in Young People

One of the things about alcohol is that where and how you consume it matters a great deal. Having a beer with a friend? Generally a fun and healthy thing to do. Having a beer while driving? A horrible idea. Having a beer while surfing the internet? Better, but still probably not advisable. Who you…

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Romantic Partners May Influence Young Adults’ Binge Drinking

If you ever dated someone your parents thought was a “bad influence,” it turns out they might have been onto something. Romantic partners may influence young adults’ binge drinking behaviors more than friends or family, at least according to new findings from researchers in Canada. In a study published recently in the journal Substance Abuse,…

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Even a Little Alcohol Can Lead to Riskier Decisions on a Moped Simulator

The stakes of taking to the roads with alcohol in one’s bloodstream are extremely high, both for the person under the influence and for other drivers, passengers and pedestrians. For the person under the influence, perhaps nowhere are the stakes higher than when a two-wheeled vehicle such as a motorcycle, scooter or moped is in…

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What Socializing and Drinking Today Mean for Mood Tomorrow

Socializing and consuming alcohol are two activities that often go together. Both also have the potential to alter your mood – so it can be hard to untangle whether you’re feeling the effects of one or the other! For psychology researchers, this complicates the question of studying how socializing and drinking change people’s moods. Things…

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Why You Shouldn’t Drink and Click

Alcohol is something that doesn’t go with certain activities. Driving is the most obvious example. And it turns out that browsing the internet may be another one. A new paper titled Combined Use of Alcohol and the Internet: Associated Features suggests that people who drink while using the internet are setting themselves up for regrets.…

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