Science in a Night Club
David Muray

Science and nightclubs. It seems like an unlikely partnership, but in reality the events that go on in a nightclub have a basis in science. The way people act and react to what is going on around them is very much a scientific issue. So next time your planning a big night out, remember some of this information and you could find yourself the smartest person on the dance floor, especially useful for those who cant dance!

You cut me real deep…: physical pain and emotional distress

It’s happened to most of us right? You see this really hot guy or girl on the dance floor and decide to go over and shake some groove thing with them. After having entertained your advances for a few moments they see someone better looking then you and move off to dance with them instead. At this moment you feel a little stupid, but chances are, you also feel slightly rejected. This feeling of rejection can often bring with it not only emotional anxiety, but also feelings of physical pain and discomfort, why?

Well it’s all to do with how our brains are wired. Physical pain, like the kind of pain we feel when we cut ourselves, is associated with a region of the brain known as the anterior cingulate cortex. This area is also active during periods of emotional stress involving social exclusion or rejection. As seen in the picture below, there is increased activity in the anterior cingulate cortex during exclusion. Being part of a social group, especially while we are very young, is crucial to our individual survival as well as our survival as a species. This has led researchers (Eisenberger et al 2003; Panksepp 2003) to hypothesise that our ability to interpret social exclusion as physical pain evolved as a mechanism to ensure we do not stray far from the social group, effectively increasing our chance of survival.

A Six Pack Doesn’t Necessarily Mean a Keg: Alcohol and Weight

The glory of nature which is the beer gut has often been blamed on alcohol (hence the name). However you may be surprised to realise that alcohol itself does not actually cause weight gain, and in women has been linked with a loss of weight. This is based on research studies showing that alcohol can cause a rise in metabolic rate, stimulating the burning of calories as opposed to them being stored as fat. Other studies suggest that the energy obtained from alcohol is not efficiently used by the body and will not lead to weight gain. Many alcoholic drinks such as standard beer, wine and spirits, are very low in carbohydrates and contain no fat or cholesterol, substances often associated with putting on the pounds.

As in everything you consume however, moderation is the key. Heavy drinking, no matter if it is every day or once a month, will still cause irreversible damage to you body. And when it comes to wanting to shed a few kilos for summer, you are better off sticking with a healthy eating plan and staying clear of the fried foods. After all, what is the good of a having a great figure if you are stuck in a hospital bed recovering from liver surgery?

Women

The Big Drink Off: Men V Women

And the winner is men, and not just because they are on average larger then women! Even if a man and a woman of the same body height and weight drank the same volume of alcohol over the same period of time, the woman would still record the higher BAC (Blood Alcohol Concentration). This occurs due to a difference in body tissue composition between the two sexes.

Fat is incapable of absorbing alcohol and a man will generally have less fat and more muscle then a woman of the same size. This means that alcohol can be diluted by water within the muscle tissues of a man and a woman, but the woman will achieve a lower lever of dilution, resulting in more alcohol remaining in the bloodstream.

Why women are affected more easily by alcohol can also be explained by comparing the levels of alcohol dehydrogenase produced by each sex. Alcohol dehydrogenase is found in the stomach and liver and is the enzyme responsible for breaking down alcohol. By breaking down alcohol in the stomach before it enters the blood stream, alcohol dehydrogenase reduces the impact of alcohol on the rest of our body and our body’s functioning. Women produce less alcohol dehydrogenase enzyme then men and may absorb nearly 30% more alcohol into their bloodstream. More alcohol in the blood means a higher BAC and often more noticeable effects.

Further Reading:

Alcohol and Weight Loss

Kahn, H. S., et al. Stable behaviors associated with adults' 10-year change in body mass index and the likelihood of gain at the waist. American Journal of Public Health, 1997, 87(5), 747-754;

Prentice, A. M. Alcohol and obesity. International Journal of Obesity, 1995, 19(Suppl. 5), S44-S50;

Liu, S., et al. A prospective study of alcohol intake and change in body weight among US adults. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 1994, 140(10), 912-920;

Hellerstedt, W. L., et al. The association between alcohol intake and adiposity in the general population. American Journal of Epidemiology, 1990, 132(4), 594-611.

Prentice, A. M. Alcohol and obesity. International Journal of Obesity, 1995, 19(Suppl. 5), S44-S50.

Klesges, R. C., et al. Effects of alcohol intake on resting energy expenditure in young women social drinkers. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 1994, 59, 805-809.

Colditz, G., et al. Alcohol intake in relation to diet and obesity in women and men. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 1991, 54, 49-55.

Social exclusion as pain

Naomi I. Eisenberger, Matthew D. Lieberman, and Kipling D. Williams, Does Rejection Hurt? An fMRI Study of Social Exclusion, Science 2003:,vol 302, no.5643, 290-292

Panksepp, J. Feeling the pain of social loss, Science 2003:Vol. 302. no. 5643, pp. 237 - 239

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