Posted on 10/29/2003 6:42:31 AM PST by Loyalist
From the more reserved wine drinker to the A-type beer swiller, the kind of alcohol someone quaffs often indicates a certain personality type, a new study by researchers in Winnipeg concludes.
The scientists at the University of Manitoba's Alcohol and Tobacco Research Unit found relatively distinct psychological traits when they surveyed hundreds of beer, wine and liquor afficionados.
Beer drinkers tended to be more extroverted and ego-driven, the wine drinkers less so, and spirits drinkers fell somewhere in between the two, the study found.
The findings may shed some light on conflicting evidence about the health benefits of certain types of alcohol, such as red wine, says the paper, published this month in the Journal of Studies on Alcohol.
While it is clear that alcohol in general can aid cardiovascular health, the apparent advantages of one type of drink may have as much to do with the psyche of the people who consume it as the properties of the beverage itself, the study suggested.
The lifestyles of the different groups would likely add another factor, said Robert Murray, one of the paper's authors.
"Wine drinkers might be more sophisticated; they might be more health conscious; they might eat healthy food and exercise," he said in an interview. "Whereas beer drinkers and liquor drinkers are more likely to be found sitting in the pub."
The conclusions on personality were drawn from a detailed survey of 1,257 Manitoba adults, who were interviewed in person and filled out detailed psychological questionnaires. They included 202 whose preference was for wine, 340 who drank mostly beer and 542 who leaned toward hard liquor.
Wine drinkers were the least extroverted and scored lowest on ego strength and on a scale measuring "sensation seeking" -- a sort of quest for stimulation of some kind.
Beer drinkers scored highest on extroversion, ego strength and sensation-seeking. They also scored highest on psychoticism -- a tendency toward anti-social behaviour.
The spirits drinkers were in between the two other groups, the study found.
The traits of the beer drinkers would fit into the category of A-type personality, considered a risk factor for heart disease, and might explain why some research indicates beer is less beneficial to heart health than wine, Dr. Murray said.
He said the personality differences in the groups may be partly related to demographics. Wine drinkers tend to be older, female, better educated and married, while beer drinkers were more likely to be young, male, less educated and single. But the survey found similar personality differences within separate groups of males and females.
Bartenders agreed yesterday that alcohol preferences often say a lot about their patrons' temperament.
"Beer drinkers are a bit more talkative and will talk about everything and anything," said Julé Malet-Veale, bartender at Jon Alan's Cigar Bar in Halifax.
tblackwell@nationalpost.com
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