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Disruption of Frontal Lobe Neural Synchrony During Cognitive Control by Alcohol Intoxication
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Alcohol narrows physical distance between strangers.

Laura Gurrieri1, Catharine E Fairbairn2, Michael A Sayette3

  • 1Department of Psychology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Champaign, IL 61820.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
|May 11, 2021
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Alcohol consumption significantly reduces physical distance between strangers, potentially increasing infectious disease transmission. This effect was not observed between familiar individuals, suggesting alcohol lowers social inhibition with unfamiliar partners.

Keywords:
COVID-19alcoholpandemicphysical distancesocial behavior

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Area of Science:

  • Social Psychology
  • Public Health
  • Epidemiology

Background:

  • Pandemic restrictions, including those on alcohol, remain controversial due to unclear evidence.
  • Alcohol consumption is hypothesized to reduce adherence to physical distancing guidelines during pandemics.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the effect of alcohol on physical distancing during social interactions.
  • To determine if alcohol's impact on proximity differs between familiar and unfamiliar interaction partners.

Main Methods:

  • A randomized alcohol-administration design was used.
  • Computer-vision technology analyzed over 20,000 proximity readings from video data.
  • Physical distance was measured during social interactions.

Main Results:

  • Alcohol consumption led to significantly reduced physical proximity between unfamiliar individuals.
  • No significant effect on physical distance was observed between familiar individuals.
  • Alcohol consumption decreased physical proximity at a rate with public health implications.

Conclusions:

  • Alcohol consumption may reduce natural caution towards strangers, potentially facilitating virus transmission.
  • Findings suggest alcohol's role in social distancing adherence is context-dependent, varying with familiarity.
  • The study highlights alcohol's potential impact on disease spread through altered social behaviors.