Alcohol increases pain tolerance and fuels aggression

An interesting new study has generated some unexpected results relating to how alcohol influences people’s pain thresholds and the effect that this has on their subsequent behavior.

It seems that alcohol may make us less sensitive to pain and, at the same time, more aggressive towards others. This then may increase the possibility that we end up causing harm.

Unmasking the unsuspected connection

The findings of this study are based on a well-established experimental design in operation since 1967.

A total of 870 volunteers who drink an average of 3-4 alcoholic beverages per occasion, at least once a month, took part in two independent laboratory experiments.

The study attracted a varied pool of participants through newspaper advertisements, which offered the added incentive of a $75 reward upon completion of the experiment.

The experiment: A tipple for tolerance

After a thorough briefing and signing informed consent, each participant was given an indistinguishable beverage, either alcoholic or a placebo.

The drinks were cleverly designed to keep the participants in the dark about the nature of their drink.

To maintain the illusion, placebo beverages included minute alcohol traces on top and around the rim to mimic the taste of an alcoholic concoction.

Once the drinks were downed, the researchers monitored the participant’s pain threshold by administering one-second electrical shocks to their fingers, intensifying the shocks until the participant reported pain.

This marked the participant’s pain threshold, a crucial aspect of the subsequent experiment.

The outcome: When alcohol ignites aggression

Following their drinks, the volunteers were involved in an online competitive reaction time task. The winner had the liberty to shock the loser, with shock intensity and duration at their discretion.

Unbeknownst to the participants, the opponent was non-existent and the results were manipulated by the researchers.

The outcome was quite telling. Those who had consumed alcohol displayed higher pain thresholds.

Increased pain tolerance and aggression

More concerning, however, was the direct correlation between their increased pain tolerance and how intense and long-lasting a shock they were willing to deliver to their supposed opponent.

This suggested a pronounced tendency towards aggressive behavior, triggered by having an increased tolerance of pain themselves.

On the contrary, participants who consumed placebo beverages exhibited less aggressive behavior, as their pain threshold was comparatively lower.

Less empathy and more aggression

This study took place at Ohio State University. Insightful comments from co-author Professor Brad Bushman shed light on the findings.

“We’ve all heard the idiom ‘I feel your pain.’ But if intoxicated people can’t feel their own pain, they might be less likely to feel empathy when others feel pain, and that could lead them to be more aggressive,” he explained.

Professor Bushman also noted that participants who had consumed alcohol had average blood alcohol concentrations of between 0.095% and 0.11%, just above the legal limit.

This led Bushman to suggest that the effects of alcohol on pain tolerance could potentially be exaggerated for those consuming alcohol beyond these experimental levels, making them even more susceptible to aggressive behavior.

Further research will continue to examine the myriad ways in which alcohol influences behavior, focusing specifically on the links between alcohol, pain tolerance, and ensuing aggression.

The study was a collaborative effort, with contributions from C. Nathan DeWall from the University of Kentucky and Peter Giancola, a clinical psychologist based in Montreal.

Funding was provided by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism and the National Center for Research Resources.

Alcohol and its ripple effect on aggression

The study highlights how alcohol’s ability to dull personal pain can ripple outward, influencing social interactions and behaviors.

In settings like bars or gatherings, heightened pain tolerance paired with reduced empathy might escalate minor disputes into aggressive confrontations.

Such insights emphasize the need for broader public awareness campaigns about alcohol’s behavioral effects, and support systems for individuals prone to aggressive tendencies when intoxicated.

By understanding these mechanisms, policymakers and health professionals can design targeted interventions to address alcohol-induced aggression, thereby reducing harm in communities and promoting safer drinking environments.

The full study was published in the journal Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs.

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