The Shape of Your Glass Affects How Much Alcohol You Drink

Pubs that served beer in straight edges glasses made 25% less profit, study shows.

In a video co-commissioned by Britlab, Chris van Tulleken from the BBC2 series Trust Me I’m a Doctor explains how your perception of how much you are drinking can be manipulated such that you drink more alcohol and at a greater speed.

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According to van Tulleken, alcohol is one of the strongest drugs available and affects every part of your body — even more so when you drink it quickly. Once you get on a roll it can be hard to stop, but this is only partially caused by the effects of the alcohol itself. There are also several factors that could be subconsciously influencing how much you drink.

People who drink out of straight glasses drink up to 60 percent slower

According to researchers at the University of Bristol, the shape of your glass will affect how fast you drink. Glasses with curved sides make it harder to visually approximate how fast you are drinking. Your judgement is impeded and you drink faster.

The research was done over three weekends at pubs that served beer and cider in differently shaped glasses. Pubs made 25 percent less profit on weekends when they served the drinks in straight glasses.

You’ll drink much slower if there are markings on glasses indicating how much is in it

This relates back to the last point and has to do with knowing how fast you are drinking.

You drink more when you're standing up than sitting down

According to the BBC, drinking isn’t the only thing you are apt to do faster while standing up than sitting down. This also applies to eating and even to office meetings.

You are apt to drink more white wine than red wine

This has nothing to do with taste and everything to do with the color contrast. Since white wine has a lighter color, it doesn’t look as though there is as much liquid in the glass when you pour it. Of course, this rule doesn’t apply if you have a taste preference.

So, remember to pace yourself and enjoy your beer in a straight glass if possible — unless you’re a bar owner that is!

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