Alcohol acutely enhances decoding of positive emotions and emotional concern for positive stimuli and facilitates the viewing of sexual images

Abstract

Rationale: Social cognition influences social interactions. Alcohol reportedly facilitates social interactions. However, the acute effects of alcohol on social cognition are relatively poorly studied. Methods: We investigated the effects of alcoholic or non-alcoholic beer on emotion recognition, empathy, and sexual arousal using the dynamic face emotion recognition task (FERT), Multifaceted Empathy Test (MET), and Sexual Arousal Task (SAT) in a double-blind, random-order, cross-over study in 60 healthy social drinkers. We also assessed subjective effects using visual analog scales (VASs), BACs, and plasma oxytocin levels. Results: Alcohol increased VAS ratings of stimulated, happy, talkative, open, and want to be with others. The subjective effects of alcohol were greater in participants with higher trait inhibitedness. Alcohol facilitated the recognition of happy faces on the FERT and enhanced emotional empathy for positive stimuli on the MET, particularly in participants with low trait empathy. Pictures of explicit sexual content were rated as less pleasant than neutral pictures after non-alcoholic beer but not after alcoholic beer. Explicit sexual pictures were rated as more pleasant after alcoholic beer compared with non-alcoholic beer, particularly in women. Alcohol did not alter the levels of circulating oxytocin. Conclusions: Alcohol biased emotion recognition toward better decoding of positive emotions and increased emotional concern for positive stimuli. No support was found for a modulatory role of oxytocin. Alcohol also facilitated the viewing of sexual images, consistent with disinhibition, but it did not actually enhance sexual arousal. These effects of alcohol on social cognition likely enhance sociability.

Multifaceted empathy of healthy volunteers after single doses of MDMA: A pooled sample of placebo-controlled studies

“…Of interest, LSD also increased oxytocin plasma levels similar to MDMA and LSD also produced MDMA-like positive mood effects in addition to its similar effects on the MET. Finally, a low dose of alcohol also increased explicit EE ratings for positive stimuli similar to MDMA, but alcohol did not alter levels of circulating oxytocin and also produced different subjective effects than MDMA (Dolder et al, 2017). Together, the findings indicate robust effects of MDMA on EE, but it appears that different substances produce similar empathy changes in the MET.…”

Relationship between dietary intake and behaviors with oxytocin: a systematic review of studies in adults

“…The studies varied in the particular dietary characteristics examined (Table 2 [42][43][44][45][52][53][54][55][56][57][58][59][60][61][62][63][64][65][66][67][68][69][70][71] ). Endogenous oxytocin concentrations were examined in relation to the following dietary exposures, intakes, and behaviors, in descending order: alcohol (n ¼ 6), eating disorders (AN and BN; n ¼ 3), caffeine (n ¼ 1), dietary and supplemental calcium (n ¼ 1), fat-rich meal (n ¼ 1), low-and high-sodium diets (n ¼ 1), short-term fasting (n ¼ 1), and food addiction (n ¼ 1).…”

“…Eleven of the 26 studies included female participants exclusively, 56,58,60-64,66,68,70,71 7 included only male participants, 43-45,52,55,57,69 and 8 included both male and female participants. 42,53,54,59,65,67 Fourteen of the studies included participants with clinical characteristics: diabetes mellitus [T1DM] (n ¼ 2), 53,62 gastroparesis (n ¼ 1), 53 functional dyspepsia (n ¼ 1), 53 chronic normal-transit constipation (n ¼ 1), 68 AN (n ¼ 5), 58,60,61,63,66 bulimia nervosa (BN; n ¼ 3), 58,62,66 binge-eating disorder (BED; n ¼ 1), 71 and food addiction (n ¼ 1). 42 Participants were recruited from 7 countries: United States (n ¼ 7 studies), 44,52,55,58,[62][63][64][65] Germany (n¼ 4), 43,45,59,70 Italy (n ¼ 3), 56,57,71 Sweden (n ¼ 4), 53,54,67,68 South Korea (n ¼ 2), 60,61 Denmark (n ¼ 1), 69 and Canada (n ¼ 1). 42 Participants ranged in age from 16 to 65 years (mean, 31.1 6 9.0).…”

“…Thirteen of the selected studies (Table 2 42 42,59 Participants ranged in age from 16 to 43 years (mean, 28.9 6 6.4).…”

“…Thirteen studies (Table 2 [42][43][44][45][52][53][54][55][56][57][58][59][60][61][62][63][64][65][66][67][68][69][70][71] ), which were published between 2006 and 2016, examined the effect of exogenous oxytocin on dietary intake and behaviors in healthy individuals (n ¼ 8) [43][44][45]54,65,67,70 and individuals with clinical characteristics (n ¼ 5; functional dyspepsia, gastroparesis, AN, BN, and BED). 53,60,61,71 Sample sizes ranged from 10 to 102 (median, 20).…”