Alcohol can help you speak a foreign language more fluently, study shows
However speakers don’t notice improvements in their own abilities
By Park Si-soo
Do you feel uncomfortable and anxious when speaking a foreign language?
A study suggests drinking alcohol could be a solution — not just quelling nervousness but also helping you speak the language more fluently.
British and Dutch researchers published their finding this week in the Journal of Psychopharmacology. They found that people really did speak more fluently after a low dose of alcohol — even when the speakers did not think so themselves.
According to TIME magazine, the study included 50 native German speakers studying at Maastricht University.
All of the people in the study said they drank alcohol at least sometimes, and, because their classes were taught in Dutch, had recently passed an exam demonstrating proficiency in the language.
Each person was asked to have a casual, two-minute conversation with an interviewer in Dutch.