Throughout your life there are certain subjects in which you believe you excel. At the very least, spending time on them feels more enjoyable, natural or educational than your other pursuits. For me, those subjects have been reading and writing. I also have a great interest in foreign languages and believe I have some ability in this area. Don’t worry, I’m not multilingual. I just like them too much from time to time.
I had the opportunity to study abroad for a short time, which was a fantastic experience for me. Because I felt a bit younger during that time, interacting with people was easier and more enjoyable than before. Of course, we communicated in English and we were mostly in bars. I noticed a few things and one of them, which is the basis of this article, is alcohol and communication.
Different cultures, conversations and ideas may push you to communicate more. However, the environment you find yourself in will inevitably put you in a more carefree rhythm. The interesting thing is that communication doesn’t suffer from excessive inhibition. Maybe I just felt that way. Joking aside, I have examined the situation and even urged my friends who lack confidence in this area to engage in conversation. There is a popular belief that drinking “a little” alcohol can make you more talkative or outgoing. I don’t know how true or false that is. So I got curious and did “a bit” of research.
According to this article, a study was carried out. In 2017, the experiment was carried out as follows: 50 people whose mother tongue was German started learning Dutch and reached a certain level of proficiency. They were observed by two native Dutch speakers who were asked to communicate only through spoken interaction with those who consumed “a little” alcohol and those who didn’t. It was shown that the group who consumed alcohol were more successful, especially in terms of pronunciation.
I have experienced a similar situation in my own story. I can easily say that I have noticed this in both my friends and myself. Sometimes I find myself understanding foreign songs better, singing songs whose lyrics I couldn’t remember before, or being able to find certain words when talking to my foreign friends.
Once I had confirmed this for myself, I began to wonder. Could I see similar gains or improvements in reading and writing as with speaking? No, I do not intend to consume alcohol before every article. So I delved back into research, but this time not to look for similar studies and experiments, but to understand how these activities work in the brain in general.
We know that the left and right sides of the brain work differently. We also know that the brain doesn’t work in the same way in even a tiny area, and that many activities take place. What I mean is that speaking and writing, perceiving a foreign language and expressing it, must be separate situations.
In particular, drinking large amounts of alcohol can slow down cognitive function and make it difficult to express clear thoughts. I think we all know that.
According to what I have read, our brain has two regions called Broca’s and Wernicke’s area, both of which are very important for communication. Let’s not go into detail, but Broca’s is responsible for our speech and Wernicke’s is responsible for our understanding. Excessive alcohol consumption can have unwanted effects on the muscles, nerves and motor control in the brain. All this can lead to disruption or temporary stoppage of function. Because alcohol affects the brain in this way, it can lead to reduced performance in reading and writing.
Finally, yes, alcohol has a reputation for breaking down barriers and facilitating freer conversations. It can boost confidence and encourage people to speak more openly. However, excessive alcohol consumption can also lead to difficulty speaking clearly, impaired pronunciation and an inability to express thoughts coherently. Finding the right “balance” is more important. So — if you drink alcohol — I invite you to do so in moderation.
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