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As Volume Increases So Does the Booze

by Terrence O'Brien on August 8, 2008 at 06:28 PM

As Volume Increases So Does the BoozeHere's a bit of information that probably isn't too shocking -- the louder the bar, the more people drink. Now there is hard scientific evidence to back up what to many probably just seemed like common sense.

According to a study being released in the journal 'Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research,' an increase in the decibel level of music within the bar directly correlates to an increase in alcohol consumption by its patrons. Researchers, with the permission of the bartenders of course, set up shop inside a couple of bars in the west of France and had the staff pump up the volume on a top 40 station to between 72 and 88 decibels, just shy of the 90 decibels at which hearing loss can be suffered.

As the volume increased the patrons drank greater amounts of booze, and more quickly. Why? Well, that's not entirely clear, but researchers believe it's either because loud music excites people, causing them to drink more, or because the loud volume makes conversation difficult, which causes bar goers to focus more on their beverage than on their fellow drinkers.

Next time you wake up with a splitting headache after a night of partying, you'll know it might not just be from the booze -- obscenely loud music might also be the culprit. [Source: Scientific American]

Tags: alcohol, bar, drinking, health, killer gadgets, KillerGadgets, music, party, research, science, studies, summernews

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