Willingness to drive when drunk and personality: a twin study

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Behavioral Science
• Genetics

Background:

• Alcohol consumption can impair psychomotor skills.
• Individual differences in personality may influence risk-taking behavior when intoxicated.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine the relationship between personality traits and the willingness to drive after alcohol consumption.
• To investigate the genetic and environmental influences on this behavior using a twin study.

Main Methods:

• A laboratory study involving twins assessing willingness to drive after a standard dose of ethanol.
• Statistical analyses including PRELIS and LISREL to examine correlations and genetic/environmental influences.

Main Results:

• Willingness to drive correlated with Extraversion in both sexes.
• In males, willingness to drive also correlated with Psychoticism; in females, it correlated with Social Desirability.
• Genetic and environmental factors influenced males' willingness to drive when drunk, with Extraversion playing a significant genetic role.

Conclusions:

• Personality traits, particularly Extraversion, are linked to the decision to drive after drinking.
• Both genetic and environmental factors contribute to the willingness to drive while intoxicated, with varying influences across sexes.