Alcohol + loud music = more alcohol

Trying to limit your alcohol intake is tougher when you're drinking in a bar with loud music, according to a new study.

Researchers have already shown that listening to fast music can speed up the rate of drinking. But now they say loud music has the same effect. Both fast and loud music can heighten arousal, causing people to drink faster and order more drinks, say the authors of the study, published online today in the journal Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research. And there's another reason why people drink more when the band is blasting: They can't converse.

"...loud music may have had a negative effect on social interaction in the bar, so that patrons drank more because they talked less."

The authors of the study suggest that bar owners tone it down a little so that people won't overindulge. Since we know that won't happen, you may have to monitor yourself. If your ears are ringing, slow down before the room starts spinning.

-- Shari Roan

Photo credit: Damian Dovarganes / Associated Press