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To test this, the authors recruited thirty subjects, and made them drink until they had an alcohol level of 30u/L, which I think is roughly a BAC of 0.03 (but I could be wrong about that). This isn’t particularly drunk, more like tipsy, relaxed, chatty, and with some decreased inhibitions.

They then tested their hearing, with a threshold test of exactly what the lower limit was. They then made a pretty graph.

Hear you can see the hearing threshold at various tones or pitches (it’s graphed very funny, I think the lower down on the Y axis equates to a higher pitch). You can see that after drinking (the dark purple shaded area), the subjects had significant hearing loss. They also made a table of average hearing loss.

From the table above looking at mean hearing loss, it looks like the women lost a little bit more in the lower frequencies than men. And of course, what are you going to do when you can’t hear so great? Turn the music up! I can’t hear it! Talk louder! I can’t hear you!

And now, a side note while I rant.

Now I will tell you what annoys Sci about this phenomenon. I don’t necessarily mind people getting louder (sign we’re all having a good time, amirite!?), but it DOES make me mind when I’m at certain bars and restaurants. The bars and restaurants in question (you know which ones I’m talking about) are the ones that are trying to play off the popularity of the meatpacking district in terms of their decor, and opt for concrete floors, super high ceilings, and lot of metal. While it looks very cool and post-industrial, if ANYONE in there has had ANYTHING to drink, the place becomes an echo chamber of such loudness that your jaw clenches automatically.

Of course, this is probably great for the owners, because I know when my jaw clenches, I dang well need a drink. And actually, several studies have shown that with louder places, people eat more and drink more, probably because they can’t hear each other in the first place.

Rant done.

Anyway, the next time that party keeps getting louder, and everyone keeps yelling, see how much they’ve had to drink! What? WHAT? SPEAK LOUDER! I CAN”T HEAR YOU!!!!

Upile, T., Sipaul, F., Jerjes, W., Singh, S., Nouraei, S., El Maaytah, M., Andrews, P., Graham, J., Hopper, C., & Wright, A. (2007). The acute effects of alcohol on auditory thresholds BMC Ear, Nose and Throat Disorders, 7 (1) DOI: 10.1186/1472-6815-7-4

15 Responses

  1. I’m drunker that UUU!!!

    OK, let me try to read he rest of your post in my inebriated state.

  2. OK, I think I know what kind of place Sci was ranting about, but since Sci didn’t include “bad karaoke music” in the description, I might have the wrong place in mind.

  3. The crank up the music so people talk less and drink more trick is most annoying. But rather than being confined to the meatpack district wannabes, I find it to be near ubiquities.

    Perhaps it’s the only way to get people buy a lot of drink at Swedish restaurant/bar prices?

    (Do Americans do the thing where you get drunk at home before going to the pub? Highly popular among students here.)

  4. I do wonder sometimes how much this trend in restaurant design is to blame for the hipster scene. I mean, when you’ve got a choice between all the new, noisy places and the old supper clubs and lounges, which are you going to choose? And if you’re one of those people who has to fit into your surroundings? Huh?

    Okay, maybe not, but metal interior design and bright accoustic profiles bother me enough that I’m sticking with the theory.

  5. This explains what happens next door to me several times a semester.

  6. I suppose it makes sense that sensitivity would decrease. It would be interesting to see if they do similar studies with any of the other senses, and compare them to one another.

    Being able to measure someone’s alcohol intake over time by taking samples of their toenails would be totally cool.

  7. OK, let me try to read he rest of your post in my inebriated state.

  8. Lol. The only poeple commenting onm this are drunk as well.

  9. idk how I even found this site/ blog. Oh god, some day I’m gonna look at my twitter history and be like wtf!

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