"When Drunk, They Seem More Beautiful and Handsome" The Reality of the Kongkkakji Effect Differs According to Research

'Beer goggles,' the phenomenon where drinking alcohol is said to be like wearing goggles (glasses), refers to the effect where intoxication causes a kind of blind spot, making the opposite sex appear more attractive. Recent research, however, has found that while alcohol does impair the ability to detect facial asymmetry, it does not actually make others appear more attractive.

A research team led by Professor Alistair Harvey at the University of Portsmouth in the UK reported these findings on the 18th in the international journal Journal of Psychopharmacology, based on experiments conducted with intoxicated individuals using facial photos manipulated for symmetry.

'Beer goggles' is a theory explaining the phenomenon where someone feels sexual attraction to another person while intoxicated. It is also known as the 'blind spot effect.' The research team explained that alcohol reduces drinkers' ability to detect facial asymmetry, which visually makes others appear more attractive.

Natural face used in the experiment (left) and asymmetrically manipulated face. [Image courtesy of Journal of Psychopharmacology/Alistair J Harvey et al.]

원본보기 아이콘

The research team conducted an experiment with 99 men and women aged 18 to 62, recruited from pubs in the Portsmouth area. Participants were shown 18 natural original facial photos and photos manipulated for symmetry, both when sober and intoxicated, and asked to rate attractiveness and symmetry on a scale.

The results showed that intoxicated individuals had a reduced ability to detect facial asymmetry. However, this impairment did not significantly affect their judgment of facial attractiveness.

Both men and women rated natural faces as more attractive than faces with enhanced asymmetry. This tendency was found to be stronger among women than men.

The research team explained that these results suggest that while facial symmetry does influence attractiveness, there are other factors that have a greater impact on attractiveness than symmetry.

Professor Harvey stated, "We do not deny the existence of the beer goggles effect. However, since photos do not reveal factors that can influence attractiveness such as physique, body shape, height, facial expression, and clothing, conducting experiments with actual models instead of photos would make it easier to confirm this effect."

© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.