All the best ideas are had down the pub. It’s true and you know it is.
A recent study from the University of Graz, Austria has suggested that drinking beer can improve your creativity, giving drinkers more “Eureka!” moments.
In the study, 70 volunteers took a series of tests after downing either a pint of 5.2% beer or an alcohol-free version. The drinkers then watched a half-hour documentary on South Africa, then were set a series of creative challenges.
The study found that those who drank the alcohol perform better on certain tasks, including a game where participants had to work out the link between three words (e.g. ‘blue’, ‘cottage’ and ‘cake’ – cheese).
However, the study also found that the participants who drank alcohol has less ‘executive function’ and experienced problems with concentration.
Lead researcher Mathias Benedek said: “Consumption of a low dose of alcohol tended to impair executive control but facilitated creative problem solving.
“We found that intoxicated participants actually improved their performance in the creativity tests beyond the level of the placebo group.
“This is consistent with the observation that creative problem solving tasks are often solved by spontaneous insight and accompanied by ‘aha!’ experiences.”
However, don’t go around downing six pints and expecting to turn into Picasso, as too much alcohol won’t do much to help you there, as Benedek explains: “Beneficial effects are likely restricted to very modest amounts of alcohol, whereas excessive alcohol consumption typically impairs creative productivity.”
