Round glasses of beer empty faster: study

18 August 2014 - 13:42 By Bruce Gorton
subscribe Just R20 for the first month. Support independent journalism by subscribing to our digital news package.
Subscribe now
File photo.
File photo.
Image: Gallo Images/Thinkstock

Researchers have found that people drink their alcohol slower - if it is from a straight glass.

According to the research, published in PloS One, people drink alcohol about 60% slower from a straight glass as opposed to a curved one.

The research was conducted at the University of Bristol, where 160 students were recruited to drink beer or lemonade while watching a BBC documentary.

They were also asked to judge the mid-point in a glass when presented with computer images.

Students, it turns out, drink a lot faster when given their beer in a full round glass - straight glasses meanwhile vanish much slower.

This effect was only observed in full glasses of beer - with the lemonade or half glasses drinking speed remained about the same.

"Participants also misjudged the half-way point of a curved glass to a greater degree than that of a straight glass, and there was a trend towards a positive association between the degree of error and total drinking time,"  the researchers said.

subscribe Just R20 for the first month. Support independent journalism by subscribing to our digital news package.
Subscribe now