It's official. Drinking wine does make you beautiful, even if your companion is sober.
Scientists claim that wine and other alcohol can dilate pupils, bring on rosy cheeks and relax facial muscles to make a person appear more approachable.
But for someone to look their best, they advise sticking to just one glass. Any more, and rosy cheeks may turn red, while any relaxed facial muscles will start looking unnatural.
Scientists claim that wine and other alcohol can dilate pupils, bring on rosy cheeks and relax facial muscles to make a person appear more approachable. But to look your best, they advise sticking to just one glass
This is according to a study by Bristol University who asked 40 students to drink different amounts of alcohol, while their sober companions judged them on appearance.
The researchers photographed their faces three times: when sober, after drinking the equivalent of one glass of wine, and after drinking a second alcoholic drink, according to a report by
The sober group rated these headshots, which were placed side-by-side for comparison.
They saw either a photo of a person sober next to a photo after one drink, or a sober photo next to a photo taken after two drinks.
Any more than two glasses of wine or beer, and rosy cheeks will turn red, and relaxed facial muscles will start looking unnatural, according to the Bristol University study
According to the study, the photos taken after one drink were rated as more attractive than the sober photos. After two drinks, students found the sober photo more attractive.
'It suggests that, if it's true, people are rated as more attractive once they've consumed a small amount of alcohol,' the study's senior researcher, Marcus Munafò, told LiveScience.
'But if they go on to consume more alcohol, they're no longer rated as more attractive.'
While it's not known exactly why alcohol can improve someone's appearance, the researchers suggest it may be to do with pupil dilation – which can indicate attraction and rapport.
Muscle relaxation in the face and rosy cheeks could also be reasons that someone is more attractive after just one drink.
'That obviously doesn't mean that alcohol is healthy,' said Professor Munafò. 'What it means is that alcohol is sort of hijacking that mechanism, or promoting the aspects of facial features that we regard as attractive for other reasons.'
The researchers conducted the study in a laboratory setting, but they admit that in the real-world, if your companion is also drinking, it's unlikely to matter how many drinks you have had.
This they say, is down to the 'beer goggle' effect, which describes how people can find others more attractive after a few drinks.
Earlier this year, the same team claimed to prove that beer goggles really do exist.
They asked volunteers to look at photos of men, women and landscapes before and after drinking - and in every category alcohol affected their perceptions.
The volunteers were divided into two groups - one group drank just one alcoholic drink, while the other drank a non-alcoholic placebo drink.
Among the images there were 20 male faces, 20 female faces and 20 landscapes.
Researchers said attractiveness ratings were higher for all three image types among the alcohol group compared to the placebo group.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2977995/How-drinking-ONE-glass-wine-improves-looks-Booze-make-beautiful-stay-away-second-glass.html#ixzz3TMRT8Umx
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