You Can’t Tell How Drunk You Are When You Are Around Other Drunk People.
You might think you are good at your own drunkenness, but according to recent research, we actually define drunkenness based on the people we drink with.
The study, led by scientists at Cardiff University and published in the journal BMC Public Health , conducted breathalyzer tests and interviews with more than 1,800 people to see how accurate their judgments were. The researchers found that their judgments were not based on the number of drinks the participants drank, but on how much their friends drank or did not.
Basically, we tend to “rank” ourselves based on the people around us. If all of your friends have seemed pretty sober, you are more likely to claim that you are more drunk than you really are, even if you all drank the same amount. And more importantly, if all of your friends seem to be more drunk than you are, you are more likely to claim that they are less drunk than you are. It can be dangerous if you think you are sober enough to drive because you are “the least drunk.” Do not risk. Travel with a designated driver, or call Uber or Lyft instead.
A Rank-Based Model of Social Norms According to Which People Assess Their Drunkenness While Intoxicated | BMC Public Health via ScienceOfUs