Why Do People Enjoy "Hunting" in Bars?

Dimly lit bars with colorful lights often become the perfect spot for some to seek casual relationships. The combination of soft lighting, romantic music, and alcohol can easily intoxicate the senses. Among these elements, alcohol plays a significant role. On one hand, moderate drinking can make people more energetic and talkative, adding fun and courage. On the other hand, it creates the so-called "beer goggles" effect, where people find others more attractive after a few drinks. But does this effect really exist?



**The "Beer Goggles" Effect**



As early as 1990, a study published in the *Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin* described this phenomenon. As the night deepened, both men and women in bars gradually rated the attractiveness of the opposite sex higher. However, this study did not establish a direct link to alcohol consumption.



In 2008, researchers from the Department of Experimental Psychology at the University of Bristol conducted a more detailed study. They recruited 84 heterosexual, single students (42 male and 42 female, aged 18 to 22, with an average age of 20) from the university. Additionally, they prepared 40 portrait photos of heterosexual couples (aged around 21 on average) selected from the university community. The rationale for choosing couples was that individuals in a relationship tend to have similar levels of attractiveness, which would help balance the attractiveness ratings between male and female groups and yield more accurate results.



In the experiment, some participants were given a vodka-based drink, while the control group received a tonic water-based non-alcoholic beverage. Participants were then asked to rate the attractiveness of the 40 portrait photos on a scale of 1 to 7. Twenty-four hours after the initial test, participants underwent the same rating process again. Researchers then compiled and statistically analyzed the results.



The conclusion was that alcohol did indeed enhance participants' ratings of attractiveness in the photos. Interestingly, this effect was gender-neutral—both male and female participants found others more attractive after drinking. Furthermore, male participants continued to rate the attractiveness of female photos higher even 24 hours after consuming alcohol.



However, the researchers acknowledged two limitations of their study. First, both the participants and the individuals in the photos were students from the same university, which may limit the representativeness of the sample. Second, the alcohol consumption in the experiment was relatively low, and no direct correlation between the amount of alcohol consumed and the degree of rating change was established.



**The More You Drink, the More Attractive People Seem**



In 2009, researchers from Bond University's School of Humanities and Social Sciences conducted a similar study. They selected 80 heterosexual participants (41 male and 39 female, aged 18 to 29) at the university bar. Participants were asked to blow into a breathalyzer to measure their blood alcohol concentration and then rate the attractiveness of photos provided by the researchers. The results showed that the higher the blood alcohol concentration, the higher the participants rated the attractiveness of the opposite sex in the photos. However, this relationship became less pronounced when participants consumed large amounts of alcohol.



Additionally, a 2009 paper published in the *British Journal of Psychology* by Professor Egan Vincent from the University of Leicester's Department of Psychology offered a different perspective. Vincent studied 240 participants from bars and cafes and found that alcohol increased the perceived attractiveness of mature, sexy women with makeup in the eyes of male drinkers. However, alcohol did not increase the attractiveness ratings of underage females nor did it lead men to overestimate the age of underage females. Thus, using alcohol consumption as an excuse for engaging in relationships with minors is unfounded.



In summary, numerous studies have confirmed that alcohol can enhance an individual's perception of others' attractiveness. However, the exact mechanism behind this effect remains unclear. It is speculated that alcohol may stimulate dopamine secretion in the brain's reward system.