I Drink. Therefore, I Think.
In a study of 7000 people aged 20-24, 40-44, and 60-64, those who drank moderately outperformed nondrinkers and heavy drinkers on a series of cognitive tests. Yes, that’s right, moderate drinking apparently helps you think better and faster, or at least moderate drinking appears to be correlated with better cognitive skills. That’s right, I’m clearheaded enough to realize the difference between correlation and causation. 
Moderate drinkers were defined as 14-28 drinks a week for men and 7-14 drinks a week for women.
The study also covers a number of other interesting findings, though they’re not drinking-related, so I won’t cover them here. Now, back to my lunchtime drink.
September 12th, 2006 at 2:58 pm
14-28 drinks aweek is *moderate???* Holy crap. I need to get on the ball if I’m going to be smarter.
September 12th, 2006 at 3:00 pm
Heh. I certainly smiled when I saw that number. I always feel bad when the doctor asks at my physical how many drinks I have a week. Now, not so bad.
September 12th, 2006 at 4:05 pm
No doubt. At my last physical, the doc was unhappy when I told her I generally average about 3-5 drinks per week. Turns out I was harming my brain! Good thing I drink more these days.
September 15th, 2006 at 3:18 pm
I know from somewhere that beer stimulates memory but attention: not too much beer, moderately. Maybe one or two will be enough and not too often. So, take care because moderately drinking is relative for each of us.