Priming a restrained mental set reduces alcohol-seeking independently of mood

Cross-sectional research demonstrates that heavy drinking is associated with elevated impulsivity, including disinhibition. However, causal effects of disinhibition on drinking behaviour are not well established.

To experimentally manipulate disinhibited versus restrained mental sets before exploring their impact on alcohol-seeking behaviour and to investigate if any effects of the manipulation occurred independently of arousal, mood, and craving.

The study utilized a between-subjects design in which participants were randomly allocated to experimental groups. Social drinkers (N = 90) attended the laboratory for a single session where they initially completed a stop-signal task. Different mental sets were induced by emphasising either the importance of cautious responding and successful inhibition (Restraint group), the importance of rapid responding (Disinhibition group), or the equal importance of rapid responding and successful inhibition (Control group). Heart rate, blood pressure, and subjective mood were assessed before participants completed a bogus taste test procedure.

The Restraint group consumed less beer than the Disinhibition and Control groups, which did not differ from each other. There were no group differences in heart rate, blood pressure, or self-reported mood after the manipulation. Across the whole sample, cautious responding during the stop-signal task (slower reaction time to 'Go' cues, fewer inhibition errors) was associated with reduced beer consumption.

These findings suggest that temporary fluctuations in disinhibited/restrained states may play a causal role in drinking behaviour.