Doctor explains the science behind ‘beer goggles’ and how they alter sex appeal

Leading science communicator Dr. Karl Kruszelnicki has explained how “beer goggles” change our perception of attractiveness in a now-viral video that’s sweeping the internet.

The colloquial term ‘beer goggles’ will be familiar to many of us, with its use in common parlance for how we might perceive things differently when slightly inebriated.

Now, Australian scholar and science communicator Dr. Karl Kruszelnicki has explained the basis of the phenomenon in a TikTok video that has been widely shared.

“Alcohol is absolutely amazing,” the doctor said in the video, which was posted to his verified TikTok page. “It can strip oil stains off a garage floor, but it can also change your human perception of reality”.

Dr Kruszelnicki pointed to a 2003 study that explored the effects of alcohol on the perception of heterosexual college students. “When it came to rating the attractiveness of other people, women found men a bit more attractive, but men found women a whole lot more attractive,” he explanied.

“They called this an increase in the ‘Facial Attractiveness Index,’” he continued. “And the rest of us call it ‘beer goggles.’”

You can watch the full video, titled “Why are people more attractive when you are (slightly) drunk”, below:

@drkarl

Why are people more attractive when you are (slightly) drunk. #drkarl #drkarlkruszelnicki #science #beer

♬ original sound – Dr Karl

Meanwhile if all this talk of beer has got you thirsty, you’ll doubtless be interested to learn that a new beer has been launched for parents who have been homeschooling their children during the coronavirus pandemic. You can read more about that story here.