Drink and be merry? The impact of alcohol and affective social cues on emotional contagion

Background: Alcohol’s ability to impact drinkers’ affective states and to lubricate social interactions  is well documented. However, less research has considered the extent to which intoxication impacts emotional responses to cues emitted by crowds. Aims: To examine experimentally the extent to which alcohol consumption shapes affective responses to large crowds. Method: Using a Social Emotion Paradigm, intoxicated or sober (placebo) participants were presented with virtually modelled groups of characters displaying various affective states (happy, neutral and sad). Fore- and back-ground characters’ emotions were varied so that they were (in)congruous. Participants’ emotional responses to the stimuli were assessed via subjective measure of self-report (Study 1) and, one week later, objective measures of facial muscle movement (facial electromyography, Study 2). Results: Study 1. Suggesting emotional contagion,  participants’ self-reported emotions largely mirrored the emotive displays. No effect of intoxication was apparent Study 2. In response to sad social scenes (foreground or background), participants smiled less and frowned more and there was no effect of intoxication.  However, smiling was significantly greater in intoxicated (relative to sober) participants when viewing  happy and neutral scenes. Conclusions: While alcohol does not have a universal effect on emotional reactions to large social groups, intoxication may heighten positive affective responses to groups. These results have important implications for our understanding of the salutary effects of alcohol in social interactions.