Beer Goggle effect lasts longer in women

The beer goggle effect on males has long been associated with pub banter, but new research released this week, suggests that women can suffer from it as well. The study, conducted at the Lakehead University in Canada found that women who drink only a small amount of alcohol, lose the ability to decided on the attractiveness of a man’s face, even when the alcohol wears off.

Being perceived as attractive is connected with facial symmetry; this is true for both males and females, and the more symmetric the features, the greater the chance of good genes and an important trait for a worthy partner.

The study, which is the first of its kind, split women up into three groups: non-alcoholic drinkers, typical drinkers and those who drink up to 50 alcoholic drinks in a month. Each group of women were put through various tests including judging facial symmetry.

The results showed that women who drank less than five alcoholic drinks a month scored lower than those who did not drink and the more a women consumed, the worse the score.

Dr Malluchi, a member of the London Plastic Surgery Associates said, “We humans like symmetry because we’re always looking within the confines of the average,”

He added that: “What the drink is doing is overriding our rational ability to judge and perhaps transposing what we want to see on a person’s features, not what is actually there.”

This latest research suggests that alcohol has a long term effect on the brain by reducing visual perception, but further research is needed to see how long the effects last for and if they are permanent.