Alcohol Makes You Think You're More Attractive

We all know the perils of beer goggles, especially when you're one of the few stragglers at the bar at last call, but apparently booze can also up your own self-esteem.

In a study to be published in British Journal of Psychology. a group of French researchers surveyed a group of people at a local bar (plus held some experiments in the lab), and asked subjects to rate their attractiveness.

Researchers found that the more alcohol the subjects had in their system, the more attractive they rated themselves.

This self-confidence, however, has more to do with the amount people think they've been drinking, as opposed to the actual alcohol content. In a second lab study, 94 subjects were invited to try a fruit cocktail. While everyone was given alcohol, half the volunteers were told they were given an alcoholic drink and the other half believed they were given a non-alcoholic cocktail.

Afterward, the subjects watched themselves on film and had to give an assessment. The first group gave themselves higher ratings than the second.

"Our study shows that the mere fact of believing that you have drunk alcohol makes you feel more attractive. The alcohol dose has no effect in itself," psychologist Laurent Begue said.

So, a little alcohol at a bar and everyone thinks they're God's gift to Earth? This explains a lot.