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While it is proven that alcohol can help in reducing nervousness and inhibition, if taken in moderation of course, recent studies suggest that a little alcohol can help people speak a foreign language better, even without them knowing it.
All In Moderation
We all know the effects of alcohol in our body. Physicians have noted that a moderate dose of alcohol would be beneficial for our health, and help us overcome nervousness and hesitation, while excessive drinking would affect our cognitive skills and motor functions.
So it leads to the question, “Does alcohol make people speak foreign language better?, or is it nothing but the alcohol talking courageously?”
Put To The Test
British and Dutch researchers decided to end this interesting debate to rest by making an experiment. They gathered 50 native German students who were studying at Maastricht University located in the Netherlands, and whose classes were taught in Dutch.
During the experiment, half of the students were given water to drink while the other half were given alcoholic drinks. After that, they were asked to have a casual two-minute conversation with a Dutch interviewer. The conversations were recorded and then scored by two Dutch natives who didn’t know which students had alcohol.
Astonishing Results
According to the results, the people who’ve had alcohol have a higher score compared to those who drank water. Those in the alcohol group have better fluency, specifically better pronunciation than those in the water group.
Surprisingly, the alcohol group thinks that they did not perform any better than those in the water group, which means the alcohol did not affect their self-rating or confidence. But, thanks to the alcohol, they did perform better.
Cheers to that!
Source: Time
