Effects of alcohol and alcohol expectancy on perceptions of opposite-sex facial attractiveness in university students
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 15397832 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Nick Neave (0000-0002-5380-4614, Northumbria University, corresponding author), Carmen Tsang (0000-0001-8210-5145), Carmen Sze Oi Tsang (Northumbria University), Nick Heather (0000-0002-7382-863X, Northumbria University) |
| Year | 2008 |
| Volume | 16 |
| Issue | 4 |
| Pages | 359-368 |
| Publication date | 2008-01-01 |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Addiction Research & Theory (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1476-7392 • E-ISSN: 1606-6359 |
| Publisher | Taylor & Francis (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/16066350801900222 |
| OpenAlex | W2015943342 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 1 |
| References cited | 17 |
Previous research has indicated that alcohol consumption increases the perceived attractiveness of opposite-sex faces. This may contribute to the known effects of alcohol on risky sexual behaviours. We investigated the effects of alcohol consumption on the perception of opposite-sex faces, whilst controlling for alcohol expectancy. In a balanced placebo design, males and females were allocated to one of the four groups: (1) told they would receive alcohol and did; (2) told they would receive alcohol but did not; (3) told they would not receive alcohol but did; (4) told they would not receive alcohol and did not. They then rated opposite-sex faces and neutral stimuli for ‘attractiveness’. Roughly three-quarters of the sample were classified as hazardous or harmful drinkers by the AUDIT questionnaire. No significant differences between groups in ratings of attractiveness for either set of stimuli were found. Findings remained the same in a reduced sample for whom the experimental manipulation was successful (as assessed by post-test questioning). Thus, we did not find that alcohol ingestion enhanced ratings of opposite-sex faces. Nor did we find that, in the overall sample, the expectation of receiving an alcoholic drink influenced opposite-sex face ratings. Possible explanations for these null findings are discussed
Alcohol · Alcohol consumption · Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test · Attractiveness · Developmental psychology · Expectancy theory · Perception · Clinical Psychology · Consumer Behavior in Brand Consumption and Identification · Evolutionary Psychology and Human Behavior · Psychology · Psychology of Social Influence · Social Psychology
Facial attractiveness signals different aspects of “quality” in women and men
Intoxicated sexual risk taking
A review of expectancy theory and alcohol consumption
Human (Homo sapiens) facial attractiveness and sexual selection
Effect of ethanol on judgments of performance
Alcohol myopia
Development of the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (Audit)
| Citations per year | 0.08 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 2013 - 2013 (1) |
| Highly cited | No |