Effect of Emotional State on Alcohol Consumption

Abstract

The present study explored effects of emotional states on alcohol use. The three orthogonal dimensions of pleasure-displeasure, level of arousal, and dominance-submissiveness, which are necessary and sufficient to describe and measure any emotional state, were used as independent factors. Reports of amounts of beer, liquor, and wine consumption were the dependent measures. Confirming earlier findings, wine consumption was not a consistent part of the over-all pattern of drinking habits; wine drinking seems to have a distinctive psychological function in contrast to beer and liquor consumption which historically have been a more stable part of alcohol use in the U.S. Almost identical complex patterns of findings were obtained for beer and liquor use. For pleasant emotional states, reported alcohol consumption was greater when subjects felt dominant and aroused (elated, excited) than when they felt dominant and unaroused (relaxed) or submissive and aroused (impressed). For unpleasant emotional states, alcohol consumption was greatest when subjects felt submissive and unaroused (depressed, bored) and dominant and aroused (angry) and least when they felt submissive and aroused (anxious) or dominant and unaroused (unconcerned, detached). In comparisons of the effects of the sets of four pleasant and unpleasant emotional states, only a single significant consistent effect on alcohol use was noted. Subjects feeling displeasure, low arousal, and submissiveness (boredom) reported consuming more beer and liquor than those feeling pleasure, low arousal, and submissiveness (tranquilized, sheltered feeling).