Drinking alcohol makes you better at languages: study

PanARMENIAN.Net - Drinking alcohol is not normally associated with improved cognitive functioning, but it turns out a drink or two may make you a better speaker of a foreign language, Stuff.co.nz reports.

The Journal of Psychopharmacology reports that a study by British and Dutch researchers shows that people who had recently learned Dutch had better foreign language skills when they had consumed a low dose of alcohol compared to those who had no alcohol.

The journal says 50 native German speakers who had recently learned Dutch received either a low dose of alcohol or a control beverage that contained no alcohol. Participants then took part in a standardised discussion in Dutch with an experimenter who was blindfolded.

The discussion was audio-recorded and foreign language skills were subsequently rated by two native Dutch speakers who were blind to the experimental condition (observer-rating). Participants also rated their own individual Dutch language skills during the discussion (self-rating).

And yes, the participants who consumed alcohol had significantly better observer-ratings for their Dutch language, specifically better pronunciation, compared with those who did not consume alcohol.

Interestingly, the alcohol had no effect on self-ratings of Dutch language skills.

The study concluded that "acute" (discerning) alcohol consumption may have beneficial effects on the pronunciation of a foreign language in people who have recently learned that language.

The report does not give reasons why this should be the case, but it may be related to the participants feeling less self-conscious or inhibited after a drink.