Loud music leads to more drinking

I've long ago gotten over the bar scene. But there was a time when my weekends (read Thursday, sometimes Wednesday) through Sunday) were spent in a bar every night. How I ever survived my college years, I'll never know. Back in the day, the louder the music the better. Sometimes the music was so loud you could barely think, much less talk to your friends. According to French researchers, when the music is too loud to even think... you just may be partaking in a little more drink.

This small-scale study worked with local pubs and studied the customers' reactions when the music was at different levels. The louder the music, the more people drank. The average amount rose to 3.4 drinks per patron with loud music, compared to 2.6 drinks when the volume is turned down. In addition, the length of time to consume a drink dropped more than 3 minutes when the music was loud.

So if you're heading out to the bar soon, be sure to pace yourself. It's great to have rhythm on the dance floor -- but there's no need to stick to the beat when it comes to your drinks!