I’m sure many of us have been exposed to media’s portrayal of the drunk guy who is all 
muscle and suddenly becomes overly aggressive after having a few beers. But how much truth is there to the stereotype of drunk, angry men, or women for that matter?
The truth is, alcohol does not cause aggression.
It is relevant, though, just not necessarily the way you would think. Back in 1990, Bushman and Cooper researched this and concluded that alcohol does indeed facilitate aggression in individuals who already tend to be aggressive.
This is how it works, according to a 2012 study by Newberry and colleagues. For people who normally feel aggressive urges when sober, there is a part of the brain that keeps those urges in check. When in a potentially violent situation, there is an increase in adrenaline throughout the body, which help the individual decide whether to fight or flee. Anxiety and fear aid in this decision by determining whether or not the individual has a chance to survive the situation, and usually will decide that fleeing is the safer route. However, alcohol reduces these inhibitions and the anxiety and fear that would normally take part in preventing the fight response, or aggression.
In contrast, for those who are not typically aggressive, being intoxicated does not increase aggression; aggression simply remains stable. Ultimately, it is attitudes toward drinking and aggression that are important influencers on an individual’s actions when intoxicated. Subra and colleagues in 2010 explains that societies often justify aggression when intoxicated and say the individual is not responsible for their actions because “everyone knows” that alcohol increases aggression.
These beliefs have become so engrained into the minds of today’s society that even exposure to alcohol-related cues tends to increase both aggressive thoughts and behaviors without any consumption of alcohol. This finding from Subra and colleagues suggests that it’s not necessarily the alcohol that causes aggression, but the attitudes toward drinking that can facilitate aggression.
It is not only our attitudes toward drinking and violence that facilitates of violence, but the environment in which we choose to drink can also have a significant impact on our actions while intoxicated. According to the 2012 Newberry and colleagues study mentioned earlier, temperature, noise, and population density may be contributing factors to aggression.
In summary, there are many different factors that are likely to contribute to aggression when one is under the influence of alcohol. To say that alcohol causes aggression is not the complete story. The environment and the people present can contribute to aggression just as genetic factors might. Furthermore, society’s perception of alcohol-induced aggression plays a large role in actions of an individual while intoxicated or even in the presence of alcohol.
By Chelsea Giles
Chelsea is a senior planning to graduate in May of 2016 with a major in Psychology and minors in Human Development and Spanish. She plans to attend graduate school to earn her Ph.D in Counseling Psychology.
References
Bushman, B. J., & Cooper, H. M. (1990). Effects of alcohol on human aggression: An integrative research review. Psychological Bulletin, 107(3), 341-354.
Newberry, M., Williams, N., & Caulfield, L. (2012). Female alcohol consumption, motivations for aggression and aggressive incidents in licensed premises. Addictive Behaviors, 1884-1851. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.addbeh.2012.08.009
Subra, B., Muller, D., Bègue, L., Bushman, B. J., & Delmas, F. (2010). Automatic effects of alcohol and aggressive cues on aggressive thoughts and behaviors. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 36(8), 1052-1057. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0146167210374725
