(Image source: Wikimedia Commons )

BY GINA COOK

ANCHOR NATHAN BYRNE


Common sense says knocking back a few cold ones while trying to get some work done might not be the best idea. But a recent study says a little alcohol might help you reach that creative sweet spot. WDAF explains.


“Forty men were given brain teasers, but before, half of the men drank two pints of beer each.  The other half had nothing to drink.  As a result the men who drank solved 40% more problems.”


Participants were given a series of three words and had to come up with a fourth to fit the pattern.  Those who had a couple brewskies answered faster. WFLD explains why it’s more about tapping into one’s creativity with the help of alcohol.

Reporter: “It’s all about being relaxed.”
Psychologist: “If you want to creative problem solve then you got to chill out.”


The study counteracts the belief that drinking impairs analytical thinking. A writer for The Inquisitor notes:


“In many ways this type of research has already been proven by the likes of Ernest Hemingway and Hunter S. Thompson, two famous writers who fueled their writing with the constant drip of alcohol from the bottle.”


But don’t expect too much the next time you put on your beer goggles. It may get the creative juices flowing, but the study found the men who drank had worse memory.
And the Global Post doubts the difficulty of the study saying...
 

“…people who've had a drink are quicker at solving really, really complicated problems. For example: can you identify a unifying subject for words like ‘blue,’ ‘cottage,’ and ‘Swiss’?”


Researchers stressed that moderation is key and they don’t know yet what problem-solving skills are like after more than a couple beers.  And since the study only used men—it’s not known whether the effects of alcohol would be the same for women.