Alcohol In Moderation Makes You More Creative, Study Says

DETROIT (WWJ) -- Would you believe that drinking a beer could help you overcome mental blocks and become more creative? A new Australian study suggests that's the case.

A new study from the the University of Graz proved that mild intoxication of alcohol can help you think more freely and become more creative. The research team provided 70 participants -- between the ages of 19 and 32 -- with alcoholic and non-alcoholic beers, and put them through a series of tests. The results indicated that those who had drank the beer containing alcohol performed better on a word problem test, which represented creativity.

"The findings indicate that certain aspects of creative cognition benefit from mild attenuations of cognitive control, and contribute to the growing evidence that higher cognitive control is not always associated with better cognitive performance," said the study's lead author Mathias Benedek.

While alcohol use may have helped creativity, concentration and memory issues did surface for the drinkers in other skill tests. The study also indicated that drinking more than one pint of beer would have a negative impact.

"Beneficial effects are likely restricted to very modest amounts of alcohol, whereas excessive alcohol consumption typically impairs creative productivity," Benedek said. "... Our findings thus add to the increasing evidence suggesting that higher cognitive control is not always equivalent to better cognitive performance."