The Smell of Booze Alone Is Enough to Make You Tipsy

Have you ever wanted to feel the effects of liquor without the actual benefit of imbibing said delicious alcohol? If so, congratulations! Scientists have just discovered that "alcohol-related olfactory cues may impede response inhibition." Basically, just the smell of alcohol can make you act drunk.

The authors of the study, which was published in the journal Psychopharmacology, are from Edge Hill University in the UK. Researchers gathered 40 individuals with a median age of 23 and had them wear face masks. Sound like fun? Wait, it gets better: The face masks were either treated with liquor or with a non-alcoholic citrus solution. Then the subjects were asked to perform a computer task that tested their impulse control.

The test is known as a "go/no-go association task"—the participants were told to press a button when they saw either the letter "K" or an image of a beer bottle flash on the screen. Their reaction times, response accuracy, and false alarm rates were measured.

Guess what happened? The subjects exposed to the scent of alcohol—just the smell, mind you—had significantly higher false alarm rates compared to those exposed to neutral olfactory cues. Also, just inhaling alcohol caused the participants to mess up more and press the wrong button at the wrong time. Conclusion: smelling alcohol leads to poor impulse control.

The researchers point out that earlier studies have shown that the smell of alcohol can lead to a self-reported desire to drink and a craving for alcohol. This new study suggests that smell alone can affect inhibitory control in other types of behavior. In the words of the scientists, "Overall, this research offers an original insight into the importance of acknowledging olfactory alcohol cues in developing a comprehensive understanding of alcohol-related behavior."

The researchers want you to know that when your inhibition is lowered, you may do things you don't want to do—or at least things you didn't want to do before you got tipsy from the smell of the hooch. In short, just the smell of alcohol can "lead to increases in consumption [of alcohol], or to relapse in abstinence users."

Not good news for those wishing to stay sober: Instead of just sealing your lips when it comes to alcohol, you'd best seal your nostrils too.