Weird Way Booze Might Make You Remember Better

Weird Way Booze Might Make You Remember Better

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Many people feel that drinking alcohol is one of the greatest joys of adulthood. Those 21 and older are free to sip champagne at a wedding, toast to the hopes of a promising future, or cheers at a celebratory event.

However, there are some who feel that alcohol is not as wonderful as it seems. After all, it’s no secret that alcohol is chock-full of empty carbs, and that having too much of it is not healthy for your diet.

Despite this, researchers have recently come across one more benefit to drinking alcohol responsibly. And this is one advantage that all responsible drinkers can enjoy.

According to Medical News Today:

“A new study finds that drinking alcohol can improve recall of learning that occurs before a drinking session, and that this effect is stronger with greater alcohol consumption.

The reason for the finding is not fully understood, say researchers from the University of Exeter in the United Kingdom, who report it in the journal Scientific Reports.

It has been suggested, they note, that alcohol stops the brain being able to take on new information, freeing up resources to more firmly bed down earlier learning.

“The theory is that the hippocampus – the brain area really important in memory – switches to ‘consolidating’ memories, transferring from short- into longer-term memory,” explains senior study author Celia Morgan, a professor of psychopharmacology at the University of Exeter.

However, she and her team wish people to realize that that their findings point to a “limited effect” that should be weighed up against the well-known negative consequences on memory and mental and physical health that result from excessive alcohol consumption.”

Despite this new information, researchers also recognize the importance of existing research on alcohol. For example, it is well-known that people in the process of consuming alcohol have a harder time forming new memories.

It is strange, however, that alcohol can help improve the retention of existing memories that were in the brain before consumption has taken place. This seems like quite the paradox, considering alcohol also inhibits new memories from forming and retaining in the brain.

However, researchers did note that the study and the evidence gleaned from it were in a “natural setting,” and not in a laboratory.