Marie Claire UK Marie Claire UK
  • Fashion Fashion
      • Fashion
        • View all Fashion
        • Fashion Trends
        • Shopping
        • Watches and Jewellery
        • Fashion News
  • Beauty Beauty
      • Beauty
        • View all Beauty
        • Fragrance
        • Hair
        • Make Up
        • Skincare
        • Nails
        • Marie Claire Beauty Awards
  • Health Health
      • Health
        • View all Health
        • Fitness
        • Nutrition
        • Female Health
        • Wellbeing
  • Life Life
      • Life
        • View all Life
        • Opinions
        • Travel
        • Sustainability
        • Weddings
        • Money & Work
        • Competitions
  • Culture Culture
      • Culture
        • View all Culture
        • TV and Film
        • Celebrity News
        • Books
        • Royal News
  • Vouchers Vouchers
      • Clothing
        • View all Vouchers
        • Mint Velvet
        • Karen Millen
        • H&M
        • nobody's child
        • ASOS
        • ARKET
        • MANGO
      • Designer Clothing
        • View all Vouchers
        • Reiss
        • THE OUTNET
        • SSENSE
        • Mytheresa
        • Liberty London
        • Selfridges
        • Farfetch
      • Accessories
        • View all Vouchers
        • AllSaints
        • Aspinal of London
        • Charles & Keith
        • River Island
        • FitFlop
        • Kate Spade
        • Vagabond
      • Jewellery
        • View all Vouchers
        • Pandora
        • Abbott Lyon
        • Goldsmiths
        • Beaverbrooks
        • Astrid & Miyu
        • Swarovski
        • Angara Jewellery
      • Beauty
        • View all Vouchers
        • Sephora
        • Cult Beauty
        • Space NK
        • Dyson
        • Clarins
        • Look Fantastic
        • Clinique
      • Activewear
        • View all Vouchers
        • Lululemon
        • Gymshark
        • Sweaty Betty
        • Nike
        • adidas
        • New Balance
        • Helly Hansen
  • NEWSLETTER Signup to our newsletter
  • logoCreated with Sketch.
    Marie Claire Newsletter

    Celebrity news, beauty, fashion advice, and fascinating features, delivered straight to your inbox!


    By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

    You are now subscribed

    Your newsletter sign-up was successful


    An account already exists for this email address, please log in.
    Trending
    • Women in Sport 2026
    • Marie Claire Masters
    • Spring Summer 2026
    • Nail Trends 2026
    • Best Investment Bags
    • Best Perfumes
    • Digital Issues
    • Women Who Win
    1. Health and Fitness

    According to this study, being drunk doesn't actually change your personality much

    Come again?

    By Marie Claire
    Published 19 May 2017 In Features

    When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

    • Facebook
    • X
    • Pinterest
    Share this article
    Join the conversation
    Follow us
    Add us as a preferred source on Google
    Subscribe to our newsletter

    Come again?

    Words – Kenya Foy

    From the editors of HelloGiggles

    Well, this might be a hard pillow to swallow for some: Being drunk doesn’t change your personality much, a new study claims.

    We know, this info is a bit late. It would’ve been nice to have know before we got drunk for this first time and tried to blame our sloppy shenanigans on the alcohol, right? Except that probably wouldn’t have stopped us from the inevitable face palm-y behaviour that most of us have engaged in repeatedly (and regrettably).

    You may like
    • Wine glass and fresh bread on a dinner table As Steven Bartlett Says Wine 'Ruined His Life'—Top Psychologists Question Our Obsession With Optimisation
    • A woman on the beach, in a bikini, eating some fruit I'm an Exercise Physiologist—If You’re Feeling Puffy, Tired, and Achy This Summer, These Everyday Habits Could Be Playing a Role
    • A woman scrolling on her phone, working on her laptop on the floor 7 Avoidable Everyday Habits That Could Be Draining Your Energy Without You Realising

    So, you know those drunk shopping purchases you made while you were shit-faced? According to researchers at the Missouri Institute of Mental Health, you probably would’ve still bought that stuff if you were sober.

    http://gph.is/10THbQF

    Marie Claire Newsletter

    Celebrity news, beauty, fashion advice, and fascinating features, delivered straight to your inbox!

    By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

    According to a report published in Clinical Psychological Science, a research team surveyed 156 people on their average alcohol consumption levels, as well as how they differentiated between their 'typical' sober and drunk personalities.

    Later they were brought back to the lab, separated into groups of three or four, and asked to drink and interact. Some received plain Sprite, while others sipped vodka that had been mixed to bring their alcohol blood content to approximately .09.

    After 15 minutes, the groups were filmed doing puzzles and other activities to elicit observable behaviors. Both the drunk subjects and outside observers later evaluated the behaviours and supposed alcohol-induced personality changes.

    Surprisingly, the findings showed that when we get drunk, we only believe our behaviour is drastically different than what others see.

    The study’s lead scientist Rachel Winograd explained: 'The participants experienced internal changes that were real to them but imperceptible to observers.'

    Huh. So outsiders barely notice a difference between our sober and inebriated selves? BRB, we need a stiff drink to help us accept that blaming it on the alcohol is officially a BS excuse.

    Marie Claire
    Social Links Navigation

    The leading destination for fashion, beauty, shopping and finger-on-the-pulse views on the latest issues. Marie Claire's travel content helps you delight in discovering new destinations around the globe, offering a unique – and sometimes unchartered – travel experience. From new hotel openings to the destinations tipped to take over our travel calendars, this iconic name has it covered.

    Read more
    Wine glass and fresh bread on a dinner table
    Female health As Steven Bartlett Says Wine 'Ruined His Life'—Top Psychologists Question Our Obsession With Optimisation
    A woman on the beach, in a bikini, eating some fruit
    Female health I'm an Exercise Physiologist—If You’re Feeling Puffy, Tired, and Achy This Summer, These Everyday Habits Could Be Playing a Role
     
     
    A woman scrolling on her phone, working on her laptop on the floor
    Female health 7 Avoidable Everyday Habits That Could Be Draining Your Energy Without You Realising
    Milly Goldsmith
    Relationships “I’ve Never Had A Boyfriend”: Milly Goldsmith On Being “Chronically Single”
     
     
    Latest in Health and Fitness
    Arsenal footballer and Lioness Chloe Kelly
    Health and Fitness Women in Sport 2026: Featuring Chloe Kelly, Elite Beauty Products, Grand Prix 2.0 and So Much More
    Eva Syti, yoga coach, ARC sauna leader and breathwork practitioner
    Wellbeing Most People Think They're Manifesting Correctly—But Usually Miss These 3 Essential Steps
     
     
    A woman lying on the floor scrolling on her phone
    Female health If You're Frazzled, Overworked and At Your Limit, These 5 Science-Backed Tips Can Help Avoid Burnout
    Health freelancer Anna Bartter treating friendship as a wellness habit: at a concert, at a bar, and with friends
    Wellbeing I Treated Friendship Like a Wellness Habit for Two Months—It Changed My Mental Health More Than I Expected
     
     
    Latest in Features
    The Beauty Digest
    Beauty The Beauty Digest: Head Spas, Coco Mademoiselle Reimagined, and What the TPO Ban Really Means
    The long hair trend and the post-bob era
    Hair I’ve Spent Two Years Growing My Bob—Turns Out, There's a Reason Long Hair Is Trending
     
     
    @nlmarilyn in transitional autumn outfits
    Fashion Goodbye Summer Dresses, I'm in Autumn Outfit Planning Mode—These 5 Are Fresh
    Arsenal footballer and Lioness Chloe Kelly
    Health and Fitness Women in Sport 2026: Featuring Chloe Kelly, Elite Beauty Products, Grand Prix 2.0 and So Much More
     
     
    logoCreated with Sketch.
    • Site Archive
    • Contact Future's experts
    • Contact us
    • Terms and conditions
    • Advertise with us
    • Privacy policy
    • Cookies policy
    • About us
    Add as a preferred source on Google Add as a preferred source on Google

    Marie Claire UK is part of Future plc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

    © Future Publishing Limited Quay House, The Ambury, Bath BA1 1UA. All rights reserved. England and Wales company registration number 2008885.