Glass shapes and drinking behaviour
Chartered Psychologist Dr Susan Marchant-Haycox has advised caution over new research that suggests individuals choose to drink alcohol at a quicker pace when using certain types of glass.
The research published in the journal PLoS ONE claimed people imbibe faster from a curved 'beer flute' than from a straight-sided container.
Dr Angela Attwood and colleagues from the University of Bristol's School of Experimental Psychology suggested the findings may be used to help bring problematic drinking levels in the UK under greater control.
The research alledged that people might drink at a speedier rate from a curved pint pot because they find it more difficult to identify its halfway point.
This suggested drinkers may be unable to gauge how much drink they have consumed - and Dr Attwood explained people might find it hard to pace themselves and manage their level of drunkenness as a result.
Dr Susan Marchant-Haycox explained: "Judging the liquid contents in different shaped glasses is not a new phenomenon. Even though Attwood et. al. state that consumption rates of drinking alcohol from a curved pint glass is much faster than from a straight-shaped glass, does not necessarily explain the increase in consumption rate for alcoholic drinks.
The sample is small, and the experiment was not in a setting where alcohol is normally consumed. Studies have shown that when participants in experimental conditions ‘think’ or indeed given an alcohol drink their behaviour changes accordingly. Before any overall conclusions can be drawn from such a study much larger samples need to be used in environs where drink is consumed."
