Media Images of Alcohol Can Drive You to Drink - Health News - Health.com

WEDNESDAY, March 4 (HealthDay News) — Young men who watched the movie American Pie with accompanying commercials for alcohol were more apt to grab a beer or glass of wine from the refrigerator, compared to those who watched a movie without the drinking prompts.

This study shows for the first time the effect of on-screen depictions of alcohol and their influence on consumers’ behavior, said the researchers, who are from Canada and the Netherlands.

“It’s one of those things the majority of people have assumed to be the case, but it’s nice to have the empirical evidence,” said Jeffrey T. Parsons, chair of psychology at Hunter College in New York City. Parsons was not involved with the study, which was published online March 4 in the journal Alcohol and Alcoholism.

Media Images of Alcohol Can Drive You to Drink - Health News - Health.com