Washington: The relationship between alcohol and aggressive behaviour is well known. A new study has found that drinking alcohol may place those individuals with a tendency toward anger at greater risk of becoming aggressive.

The study, published in Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research, revealed that intoxicated individuals tend to express anger outwardly are at particularly high risk of alcohol-related aggression when strongly provoked. "When most people think of anger, they probably think of the emotional state," said Amos Zeichner, professor and director of the Psychology Clinic at the University of Georgia, and corresponding author for the study.

For the study, the researchers recruited 136 male social drinkers between the ages of 18 and 30 years from undergraduate psychology courses and via local media advertisements. During a 20-minute session (followed by a 10-minute waiting period), the alcohol group consumed two beverages consisting of ethanol and orange juice, bringing them to a blood alcohol concentration of 0.08 per cent; the control group consumed two beverages consisting of just orange juice.

The findings revealed that intoxicated participants displayed more facial expressions of anger than sober participants. "Practically, facial expression is probably one of the best ways of knowing if someone is angry," said Pihl. Intoxicated participants also demonstrated a positive relationship between facial expressions of anger and the tendency to express anger outwardly after high (but not low) provocation.

"Our findings strengthen the notion that alcohol increases the likelihood that certain drinkers, particularly those with the tendency to be angry and to express their anger outwardly, become aggressive when provoked," the researchers stated.

ANI