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Scientists discover drinking alcohol socially gives people a sense of ‘euphoria’
You might find that drinking alcohol with friends is more fun than doing so alone, well scientific research proves that drinking in a social setting is actually the ‘best way’, but it sadly still won’t cure a hangover the next morning…
A study using fruit flies shows how social drinking boosts euphoria, suggesting that who we go out with does in fact influence how we react to alcohol. They also found when someone drinks alone, they’re more likely to feel down and depressed feelings over being surrounded by friends, so bear that in mind the next time you grab your cocktail.
Scientists use fruit flies to discover the ‘best way’ to drink alcohol
A study by University of Texas, El Paso (UTEP), published in the journal Addiction Biology, researched how a social setting interacts with hyper dopamine to boost the stimulant effect of ethanol, using fruit flies.
Yes, you read that right, fruit flies. Although bugs might seem hard to compare with human behavior, these insects share about 75% of the same genes that cause human diseases, according to Kyung-An Han, PhD, a biologist at UTEP who uses fruit flies to study alcoholism.�
Kyung-An Han, alongside a team, took a key step in understanding the neurobiological process behind social drinking and how it boosts feelings of euphoria.
The study pinpoints the region of the brain that is stimulated by social drinking and may lead to a better understanding of how humans become vulnerable to Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD, commonly known as alcoholism).
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Han revealed that “social settings influence how individuals react to alcohol, yet there is no mechanistic study on how and why this occurs.” Mechanistic studies refer to ‘an experiment, using an intervention in healthy subjects or patients, to better understand human biology’.
Research therefore suggests you should try and socialize with people while drinking, to possibly help prevent feeling down when you’ve had a few.
Social drinking boots euphoria but doesn’t mean you won’t get a hangover
Using fruit flies, the research demonstrates that ethanol (the alcohol in drinks) causes different reactions in solitary versus group settings. Dopamine (the brain molecule that plays a role in pleasure), motivation and learning, is a key reason for this.
The experiment exposed the fruit flies, either alone or in a group setting, to ethanol vapor and measured their average speed to determine the degree of ethanol-induced response.
While flies who “drank alone” displayed a slight increase in movement, flies exposed to ethanol in a group setting displayed significantly increased speed and movement.
While drinking in a social setting might be proven to boost euphoria, the study sadly does not highlight a way to get rid of a nasty hangover.
The team then tested whether dopamine plays a role in the flies response to ethanol, comparing a control group whose dopamine was naturally regulated by the brain with an experimental group that had increased levels of dopamine. The findings showed that the flies, regardless of whether they had normal or increased levels of dopamine, had a similar reaction to ethanol in a solitary setting – a tiny increase in activity. Whereas in social settings, the flies with increased dopamine showed even more heightened hyperactivity than usual. �
