A psychologist’s curiosity about alcohol’s effects on anxiety led to a groundbreaking discovery. Decades ago, Michael Sayette, a psychology professor at the University of Pittsburgh, was setting up an experiment involving women and drinking. He noticed that five unfamiliar female volunteers, initially reserved, became lively and chummy as they consumed their drinks. Within an hour, they appeared to be the best of friends, their conversation punctuated by laughter. Dr. Sayette remarked, ‘You didn’t need fancy statistics to notice what was happening.’
This observation sparked a deeper investigation into the social context of drinking, a factor often overlooked in laboratory studies focused solely on alcohol’s physiological effects.
The conversation around alcohol’s social role gained public attention when Dr. Mehmet Oz, then overseeing the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, discussed the government’s new dietary guidelines. These updated recommendations subtly shifted, advising Americans to drink ‘less’ for better health, but conspicuously omitting the previous daily limits of one drink for women and two for men.
Dr. Oz justified this change by stating, ‘Alcohol is a social lubricant that brings people together.’ While he clarified that ideally, people shouldn’t drink at all, and that the original caps might have been too generous, he maintained that alcohol’s only benefit lies in fostering social enjoyment. He later suggested that men should consume less than two drinks daily and women less than one, acknowledging no health benefits from alcohol itself.
However, experts emphasize that the science behind social drinking is far more intricate. While solitary drinking is indeed a warning sign, consuming alcohol in groups is not without peril. Most drinking occurs socially, and this context often leads to increased consumption, and is associated with a higher incidence of violence and accidents.
Kasey G. Creswell, an associate professor of psychology at Carnegie Mellon University, agrees with Dr. Oz that alcohol facilitates conversation, smiles, and connection. She notes, ‘This is why alcohol probably becomes so addictive for some people. They’re not just craving the drink; they’re craving this rapid sense of belonging that is so important to humans at a fundamental level. And alcohol can certainly help with that.’
Dr. Creswell, along with Catharine E. Fairbairn, an associate professor at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, highlighted a critical gap in research. In a 2024 editorial in the journal Addiction, they pointed out that over 90% of nearly 1,000 alcohol studies published up to 2023 focused on individuals drinking alone, despite most people consuming alcohol in social settings. This oversight means studies often miss the ‘socially reinforcing effects’ that contribute significantly to alcohol use disorder.
Golden Moments
Inspired by his initial observation, Dr. Sayette embarked on one of the most extensive laboratory studies of social drinking among strangers. His team recruited 720 social drinkers, aged 21 to 28, evenly split between men and women. The participants were carefully selected to be unacquainted, ensuring that any bonding observed was due to the experiment, not pre-existing relationships.
Participants were divided into three randomized groups: one received a vodka-cranberry cocktail, another an alcohol-free placebo (vodka-smeared glass for authenticity), and the third plain cranberry juice. They were instructed to drink a third of their beverage every 12 minutes, all while being videotaped.
The results, published in 2012, were compelling. Drinking groups talked significantly more, smiled longer, and reported higher levels of group bonding than non-drinking groups. They also engaged in more sequential, three-way conversations and experienced more ‘golden moments’ – instances of genuine, Duchenne smiles (involving eye crinkles and raised cheeks) from all three members.
A more recent study involving 393 young, heavy drinkers corroborated these findings: alcohol-assigned groups conversed more, had more three-way interactions, and fewer awkward silences. They also showed quicker increases in Duchenne smiles and reported greater positive feelings and social connection. This understanding of social drinking is crucial for identifying individuals at higher risk for developing alcohol use disorder.
Julia Buckner, a psychology professor at Louisiana State University, researched ‘pre-gaming,’ or drinking before a main event. She discovered that socially anxious individuals often pre-game to calm anticipatory jitters, which paradoxically leads them to drink even more during the main event. This might explain why those with social anxiety disorder are four times more likely to develop alcohol-use disorder.
Alcohol facilitates social interactions largely by reducing the fear of rejection, a common source of stress. Drinkers tend to open up, share more personal information, and feel a stronger sense of connection. Todd Kashdan, a professor of psychiatry at George Mason University, explains that alcohol can lower heart rate, reduce sweating, and create ‘tunnel vision,’ keeping individuals focused on the present moment.
However, Dr. Kashdan criticized Dr. Oz’s message for portraying alcohol as a ‘cure to social problems and loneliness,’ without addressing its potential to lead to ‘problematic behavioral problems.’ He stressed the importance of acknowledging this duality: ‘Yes, it’s a social lubricant, and if you rely on it, you’re inclined to develop more alcohol problems.’
Dr. Fairbairn echoed this sentiment, stating that ‘most of the harm that comes from alcohol… is due mostly or mainly to drinking with their buddies.’ She highlighted that three out of four drinking occasions for problem drinkers occur in social settings. A Health and Human Services spokeswoman, Emily G. Hilliard, reiterated Dr. Oz’s initial statement and the updated guidelines, advising less drinking for better health and total abstinence for high-risk individuals.
Addiction specialists agree that social connection is vital for health, but firmly believe that enjoyable social interactions do not necessitate alcohol. John Kelly, a Harvard professor of psychiatry and addiction medicine, pointed out that ‘fifty percent of the population doesn’t drink anything in any given year, but those people still socialize.’