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Alcohol Shifts Emotional Language in Social Interaction Toward Positive and Away from Negative Content: A
Madeline E Goodwin1, Michael A Sayette1
1Department of Psychology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs
|April 29, 2026
Summary
Alcohol consumption alters social conversation by reducing negative emotions and increasing positive ones. This study found alcohol decreased verbal authenticity, particularly in males, suggesting sex-specific effects on social language.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Linguistics
- Social Sciences
Background:
- Alcohol is widely consumed socially, yet its impact on social language remains under-researched.
- Language is a key social behavior influencing alcohol's socio-emotional effects.
- Previous studies lacked sufficient sample sizes and robust linguistic analysis for social interactions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate alcohol's effects on verbal communication in unstructured social interactions.
- To address gaps in understanding alcohol's impact on language using advanced text-processing.
- To examine alcohol's influence on emotional expression and authenticity in conversation.
Main Methods:
- A preregistered study involving 720 social drinkers (360 males, 360 females) in triads.
- Random assignment to alcohol, placebo, or control conditions.
- Analysis of approximately half-a-million words using the Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count (LIWC) system.
Main Results:
- Alcohol consumption decreased negative emotion words and increased positive emotion words.
- A trend indicated alcohol reduced verbal authenticity.
- Post-hoc analyses revealed alcohol selectively decreased authenticity and increased confident language in males within all-male groups.
Conclusions:
- Alcohol significantly alters the emotional tone of conversations.
- Potential sex differences in alcohol's effects on authenticity and bravado were identified.
- Formal language analysis is valuable for alcohol and drug research.
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