14 DAY TRIAL // Dutch researchers announced on Wednesday that people who were exposed to films and TV shows or commercials that featured prominent alcohol consumption were very likely to start drinking themselves, and not later, but right on the spot. They have reached this conclusion after conducting a scientific experiment in which volunteers were asked to watch movies and their beer consumption was analyzed. The team has learned that those who were exposed to extensive alcohol consumption drank on average 1.5 bottles of beer more than those in the control group.
Out of the 80 male university students that participated in this study, half viewed a film featuring prominent alcohol use, as well as commercials for various brands of booze. The other half, the control group, watched a film that showed off far less alcoholic beverages and “neutral” commercials, meaning that they did not depict people drinking. Throughout an hour, which was how long the movies lasted, the test subjects were told they could consume as much wine, beer or soda as they pleased.
On average, those who watched the first movie exhibited a tendency to consume about one and a half beers more than those who viewed the non-explicit film. The researchers themselves have been amazed at the swiftness of the response, and say that similar behaviors are very likely to repeat themselves in smokers who watch people lighting their cigarettes in movies.
The new find has serious implications on TV viewing, as the investigators say that networks should henceforth consider announcing the fact that films feature such scenes before the onset of the program, so that parents could send small children away. It also means that the general state of health of the population could be improved, by simply removing as much of these commercials as possible. This seems nonetheless highly unlikely to happen, as it would be a discrimination against producers.
“This is the first experimental study to show a direct effect of exposure to alcohol portrayals on TV on viewers' immediate drinking behavior. The results were straightforward and substantial; those who watched both the alcoholic film and commercials drank, on average 1.5 bottles more than those who watched the non-alcoholic film and commercials. Implications of these findings may be that, if moderation of alcohol consumption in certain groups is strived for, it may be sensible to cut down on the portrayal of alcohol in programs aimed at these groups and the commercials shown in between,” Rutger Engels, the Radboud University Nijmegen researcher in charge of the new study, said in a statement.