喝不同的酒，情緒會發生不同的變化?一支來自英國的研究團隊決定對這種說法進行科學驗證。
It’s the biggest study to ever document how people react to alcohol, mood-wise. Researchers used data from almost 30,000 people who responded to the Global Drug Survey, a yearly international poll about drug and alcohol habits around the world. They found significant differences between different types of drinks.
這是迄今為止針對該課題規模最大的研究。研究人員從「全球毒品調查」(一項關於全球毒品及酒精嗜好的年度國際調查)中選取了近3萬名調查對象的數據進行研究。他們發現，不同類型的酒對人情緒的影響存在顯著差異。
Strong spirits (like vodka, gin, or whiskey) made people feel energized (58% of people), confident (59%) and sexy (42%). But they also had a negative effect, tending to bring out aggression in some people. Negative feelings such as aggression (30%), restlessness (28%) and tearfulness (22%) give significant cause for concern. Meanwhile, just 2.5% of red wine drinkers reported feeling more aggressive.
伏特加、金酒、威士忌等烈酒使人感到精力旺盛(58%)、自信(59%)、性感(42%)。但同時，它們也會產生消極效應，容易使一些人展現出侵略性。這些消極情緒——侵略性(30%)、焦躁不安(28%)、悲痛(22%)——足以引起我們的擔憂。然而，只有2.5%的紅酒飲用者感覺到自己更富攻擊性。
Red wine tended to make people sad in 17% of cases, but more significantly, 53% of red wine drinkers said it left them feeling more relaxed. A similar fraction of people (almost 50%) reported this sentiment for beer. As it turns out, having a beer or a glass of wine does tend to make you feel more relaxed.
17%的人喝完紅酒以後會感到悲傷;但更多時候，紅酒令人心情放鬆，53%的人有這種感覺。近50%的人表示，飲用啤酒有同樣感受。事實證明，喝點啤酒或紅酒確實容易令人更放鬆。
It’s not clear exactly why these things happen. It may be due to the nature of the drink, such as different ingredients, alcohol content, and the amounts consumed. However, it may be due to cultural aspects as well. Basically, the setting in which people tend to drink red wine might be more relaxing, whereas the setting for spirits might be more active.
目前，我們尚不清楚為什麼會出現這些情況。這可能和酒本身有關，比如不同的配方、酒精含量、攝入量等。不過，也可能是文化層面的原因。簡單而言，通常選擇喝紅酒的場合可能更放鬆，而喝烈酒的場合可能更為活躍。
論文作者總結道：
「Spirits are often consumed more quickly and have much higher concentrations of alcohol in them. This can result in a quicker stimulating effect as blood alcohol levels increase. They may also be consumed in different social occasions so people may be drinking them deliberately to feel the drunken effect quickly while other types of drink are more likely to be consumed slowly or with food. As people get the kick from escalating alcohol levels, the same increases reduce the brain’s ability to suppress impulsive feelings or to consider the consequences of acting on them.」
「烈酒的酒精濃度非常高，且通常喝得更快。隨著血液中酒精濃度的增加，對人們造成更快的刺激效果。在不同的社交場合中，人們可能會故意喝烈酒以更快達到醉酒的效果，而其他種類的酒更適合搭配食物慢慢享用。當人們不斷從酒精中獲得快感時，大腦抑制衝動的能力也隨之降低，使得人們難以考慮酒後行為會造成的後果。」
The study was published in the British Medical Journal.
這項研究發表在《英國醫學雜誌》上。
「Feeling positive emotions may in part be related to the promotion of positive experiences by advertising and the media. Emotions experienced could also be related to when the alcohol is drunk, the levels of alcohol within each beverage type and the different compounds found in different drinks. Understanding emotions associated with alcohol consumption is imperative to addressing alcohol misuse.」
「人們之所以在飲酒後體驗到積極情緒，可能是由於廣告和媒體的宣傳。飲酒後的情緒可能還與飲酒的時間，每種酒的酒精含量以及不同種類的酒所含的不同成分有關。要想解決酒精濫用問題，就要儘快弄清酒精攝入和情緒之間的關係。」
Professor Mark Bellis, Public Health Wales』 director of policy, research and international development, says we should pay extra attention to spirits, which are associated with a rich history of violence.
威爾斯公共衛生政策、研究和國際發展部主任馬克•貝利斯教授稱，我們應該更加關注長期以來都與暴力行為分不開的烈酒。