Loud Music in Bars Hastens Drinking

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Galanter suggested that loud music may be tapping in to, and exacerbating, some of the common social vulnerabilities people bring to a public setting gathering.

"Everybody is subject to using alcohol to cope with anxiety, whether or not they have a problem with alcohol," he said. "And that's why people drink in social situations. And loud music puts them in a frame of mind where they're less coherent, and maybe somewhat distracted, and in a somewhat altered state of consciousness to some modest measure. And so then, they're less able to exercise control over their behavior in order to moderate their drinking."

For their part, Gueguen and his colleagues pointed out that the majority of automobile fatalities in France involve alcohol. They suggested that consumers should be made aware -- through advertising -- of the association between loud music and increased drinking, and that bar owners should consider moderating music levels to minimize drinking.

But Galanter cautioned that the latter goal might prove to be an uphill battle.

"I think the bars may have the opposite point of view," he said with a chuckle. "But I would suggest that people in bars with loud music should think carefully before they even come in about how much they want to drink, so that they won't drink excessively."

More information

For more on young adults and drinking, visit the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism.