[Assam] [assam] Alcohol can sharpen the mind

[bhuban.baruah]

Euroweekly News (26 April-2 May 2012)


AN alcoholic drink or two can sharpen up the mind. Men who enjoy a 
relaxing drink are better at solving brain teasers  than those who are 
stone cold sober, a study by the University of Illinois (US) found.
Those in the study drank solved nearly 40 per cent more problems than 
the non-drinkers and took an average of 12 seconds per question 
compared to 15.5 seconds needed by the sober subjects.
It is thought that alcohol hinders analytical thinking, allowing 
creative thoughts that otherwise might be stifled to take root. The 
amount of alcohol found to spark creative thought was around four units.
This is equivalent to two pints of bear or two medium glasses of wine.
"We tested what happens when people are slightly merry, not when people 
drink to extremes," said co-author Jennifer Wiley
"The bottom line is that we think being too focused can blind you to 
novel possibilities, and a broader, more flexible state of attention is 
needed for creative solutions to emerge.