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. 2010 Jul 1;46(4):619-623.
doi: 10.1016/j.jesp.2010.02.008.

The Big, the Bad, and the Boozed-Up: Weight Moderates the Effect of Alcohol on Aggression

C Nathan Dewall  1 , Brad J Bushman, Peter R Giancola, Gregory D Webster
Affiliations

The Big, the Bad, and the Boozed-Up: Weight Moderates the Effect of Alcohol on Aggression

C Nathan Dewall et al. J Exp Soc Psychol. .

Abstract

Most people avoid the "big, drunk guy" in bars because they don't want to get assaulted. Is this stereotype supported by empirical evidence? Unfortunately, no scientific work has investigated this topic. Based on the recalibrational theory of anger and embodied cognition theory, we predicted that heavier men would behave the most aggressively when intoxicated. In two independent experiments (Ns= 553 and 327, respectively), participants consumed either alcohol or placebo beverages and then completed an aggression task in which they could administer painful electric shocks to a fictitious opponent. Both experiments showed that weight interacted with alcohol and gender to predict the highest amount of aggression among intoxicated heavy men. The results suggest that an embodied cognition approach is useful in understanding intoxicated aggression. Apparently there is a kernel of truth in the stereotype of the "big, drunk, aggressive guy."

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Interaction between type of beverage consumed (alcohol vs. placebo), participant weight, and participant gender in predicting aggressive behavior. Values refer to the intensity and duration of shocks administered to an ostensible opponent of the same sex (standardized and summed) during a competitive reaction-time task. Experiment 1.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Interaction between type of beverage consumed (alcohol vs. placebo), participant weight, and participant gender in predicting aggressive behavior. Values refer to the intensity and duration of shocks administered to an ostensible opponent of the same sex (standardized and summed) during a competitive reaction-time task. Experiment 2.
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