When women drink alcohol on dates, it makes them feel more intimate, while it makes the men they are with feel less so.
This is according to a recent study published in the Journal of Personal Relationships.
Psychologists from Australian National University rounded up some undergrads and surveyed them about their alcohol habits on dates.
The majority of the 323 participants had had alcohol on a date within the last three months.
Nearly half of these dates were at restaurants, while 28% were at bars or nightclubs, 9% were at the movies, 6% were at home, and 4% were at parties. On average, couples consumed almost six drinks together per date.
After they characterized the dates, the researchers had participants rate their feelings of intimacy on these alcohol-fueled dates.
Intimacy "is defined as a subjective feeling that is characterized by a sense of closeness, affection, and connectedness between interacting partners," the researchers wrote. "Intimacy is critical for the blossoming of romantic relationships in the early phase of courtship."
Previousresearchhasfound that drinking on dates can increase the amount of intimacy couples feel, and these researchers wanted to see if this feeling differed between the sexes.
They found that men drinking damaged the development of intimacy, while women drinking enhanced it.
"This provocative finding suggests that men may wish to limit their drinking on dates to minimize its potential disadvantageous effect on intimacy for both themselves and their partners," the researchers concluded.
Of course, this study has several limitations. It had a small sample size of young Australian students, and the results might have been different with older participants, same-sex couples, or different amounts of drinking. Plus, participants were recalling dates from the past, so they could have misremembered the events.
But if their results hold true, it may be best to hold off on the liquor if you want to cultivate a real relationship, gentlemen.
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