Alcohol and aggression in men: a comparison of brewed and distilled beverages

The effects of distilled and brewed alcoholic beverages on aggressive behavior were compared in a 2 x 2 factorial design with 16 subjects per cell (N = 64 men social drinkers). One-half of the sample population was told that they would be consuming an alcohol (distilled spirits) beverage and the other half that they would be consuming beer. Within each of these conditions, one-half of the subjects received the expected drug (alcohol) and one-half was given a corresponding placebo beverage. Aggression was measured using a modified version of the Buss aggression machine. Subjects who consumed beer or believed that they were consuming beer were significantly less aggressive than subjects who consumed distilled spirits or believed that they were consuming distilled spirits. Differences between subjects receiving the drug (alcohol) and the placebo were not significant.