CELEBRITY STYLE SPY: See all the latest celeb photos

Drinking on TV makes us crave alcohol

By Emma Sibbles on Wednesday 4 March 2009

Print
Share
Comment

Mad Men

Films like Sex and the City: The Movie and TV programmes like Mad Men might soon face greater restrictions after new research found that watching films and programmes with drinking in them makes us crave alcohol.

The Radboud University in the Netherlands monitored 80 young people aged 18-29 years old and found that those who saw lots of alcoholic references drank twice as much as those who did not.

The volunteers had access to beer, wine and soft drinks while they watched films such as American Pie and 40 Days and 40 Nights. They were also subjected to adverts for alcohol.

Lead researcher Rutger Engels said, ‘[Alcohol] might work as a cue that affects craving and subsequent drinking.’

Alcohol advertising is restricted under EU rules and companies cannot promote it using children or suggest it makes you more socially or sexually successful.