14 DAY TRIAL // The fact that inebriated people tend to speak highly of their future plans and to boast about their achievements is very well known to anyone who set foot in a bar at least once in their lives. In a new study, conducted by two German researchers, they termed this type of unrealistic commitment to fulfilling the most unrealistic tasks “alcohol myopia.” In their research, published in the August issue of the Journal of Abnormal Psychology, the team describes how people who have had a lot of alcohol simply seem to ignore reality, and think that they can do anything, Wired informs.
“People may indicate being determined to reach their goals after having consumed alcohol, but once sober again, they do not walk the talk,” the two wrote in the study. More than 60 students were used as test subjects for the new research. They were devised into two groups, members of which were given either “sufficient” amounts of tonic vodka, or just plain tonic water. The scientists went to great lengths to convince everyone that they had been drinking, including the ones who didn't actually touch any alcohol. Just two students in the placebo group realized they were fooled.
After each of the participants was given four drinks of their respective beverages, they were all asked to rate their commitment to certain objectives, more or less realizable. The subjects who drank a lot expressed very strong attachment to their deepest desires and feelings, and commitment to fulfilling them. These included telling a long-time crush their true feelings, or things like going to another country to visit a relative. The main difference between the intoxicated group and the sober one was that the former did not lower its level of commitment as more unrealistic goals were proposed.
“Intoxicated participants’ lack of considering their expectations particularly played out when chances to attain the goals were grim. In light of low expectations, participants in the alcohol condition felt more committed to their goals than did participants in the placebo condition, whereas in light of high expectations, commitment did not differ between conditions,” the two scientists added. However, it was all empty talk, especially in the case of the students who drank. Over a three-week follow-up study, they failed to fulfill their proposed goals.
Those who were sober during the experiments exhibited a higher chance of actually doing something about their stated goals, and the researchers said that their pledges actually correlated with reality. This was not the case for inebriated students.